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It's currently thought that Earth and the Moon formed around 4.5 billion years ago. The theory, called the giant impact theory, states that two planets - one named Proto-Earth, about 90% of the current size of Earth, and the other named Theia (after the mother of the Moon goddess in Greek mythology), about the size of Mars, suffered a huge collision. It wasn't a head-on collision though, it was a glancing blow. The impact would have melted both planets, fusing them together to form our present Earth. Theia's dense iron core sank to the centre of Proto-Earth and merged with it's core to form Earth's current core, while the lighter rocks of the two planets merged together to form a thick layer of rock around the core, Earth's mantle.

However, the force of the impact was so violent that it would have spewed up huge amounts of the new Earth's mantle into space. The pieces thrown out would have formed a ring around Earth for a short while, before they coalesced together to form the Moon.

All very well you might say, but where's the evidence that such a huge collision created the Earth and Moon?

  • The Moon has roughly the same density, composition etc. as Earth's mantle, with no iron core (or at least a very small one). This makes sense if we consider it was formed from pieces of Earth's mantle thrown out during the giant impact.
  • The Moon rocks examined by the Apollo astronauts contain oxygen isotopes in the same ratio as Earth's mantle, and nowhere else in the Solar System - strong evidence they formed in the same event, like the giant impact.
  • The Moon contains few volatile elements (things that evaporate easily like potassium). As the ring of debris orbited Earth after the impact, it would have "dried out," i.e. all the volatiles evaporated out of the debris before it came together to form the Moon.
  • We have seasons because Earth is tilted over. Earth's tilt is easy to explain if we assume it was knocked over by a giant impact when it formed.
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11y ago
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11y ago

The most widely accepted theory of the Moon's origin is that at some point VERY early in the formation of the universe, two newly-formed planetary bodies collided. The iron cores of the two proto-planets merged to become the Earth, and some of the lighter debris thrown off in the collision accumulated to become the Moon.

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14y ago

What people say is that something big hit the earth, and debree fell off of it. Most of this debree was pulled back to earth because of the gravity, while others came together to form the moon.

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12y ago

A collision between the proto-Earth and a second would-be planet in approximately the same orbit.

The collision gave us our rotation (it was about an 8 hour day), and some of the debris coalesced to form the moon.

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8y ago

Aristarchus was the first person who brought this idea into consideration, but he could not prove it. Later, the idea that Earth is at the centre was "official doctrine" for about 1400 years.

But after Copernicus' explanation this idea was again taken into consideration. This idea was later also supported by Galileo.

This idea then got approved as the equations got simpler by this idea.

<<>>Kepler took the Sun-centered idea and developed a new theory from accurate observations by Tycho Brahe. Kepler used elliptical orbits for the planets, as a result of work on Mars's orbit which has a relatively high eccentricity. Later Newton did a lot on the theory of gravity and the laws of motion, and proved by applied mathematics that a planet in the Sun's gravity must move in an ellipse, thus ensuring that Kepler's theory would last until the present day.

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9y ago

The moon is said to be formed by a collision between a large meteor and Earth. It is thought to be particles or debris from this collision.

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12y ago

Asteroid collision. A massive part of earth.

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13y ago

The most widely accepted model is known as the nebular hypothesis.

See related link for more information.

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14y ago

Aristarchus of Samos, a Greek mathematician and astronomer, is the earliest person known to have suggested that the Sun is at the center of our solar system.

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12y ago

Centripetal

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Q: What is the term used to describe the accepted theory that the sun is at the center of your solar system?
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How did the heliocentric theory of universe differ from the geocentric theory?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


What was the difference between the geocentric theory and the helicentric theory?

Geocentrism places Earth at the center of the planetary system. Heliocentrism, correctly, places the sun at the center, hence: the Solar System.


What is the accepted name for the theory which explains the formation of our universe?

The Big Bang is the theory that was developed to describe the origins of the universe.


When were Galileo's ideas accepted?

Yes. The geocentric system was long accepted. Briefly the geocentric system used the earth as the center of the universe, thus the sun and planets revolved around the earth as center of the universe. The geocentric system had religious implications of the earth as the seat of "God". The heliocentric system replaced the geocentric system in Copernicus' time, with the sun as the center. This challenged the religious concepts. The "geocentric" system is still accepted. Locating heavenly bodies still use the RA (Right Ascension) system which is geocentric. Leaving out the question of where "God" lives, the astronomical question is simplicity of astronomy calculations..


Who first questioned the idea of the geocentric theory?

Aristotle was the person who came up of the idea that the earth was the center of the solar system are this theory was called geocentric that means the earth is the center

Related questions

How did the heliocentric theory of universe differ from the geocentric theory?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


How did the heliocentric theory of the universe differ from the geocentric theory?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


How did the heliocentric theory of the universe differed from the geocentric theory?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


How did the heliocentric theory of the universe different from the geocentric theory?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


Why is the heliocentric picture of the solar system called a model of the solar system?

The Heliocentric picture of the solar system is a model because it was given as a theory by Copernicus to describe the solar system. In prior centuries people believed that the earth was the center of the solar system.


How did the heliocentric theory of the universe differ from the geocentric?

the heliocentric theory is the theory that the sun is in the center of the universe. the geocentric theory is the theory that the earth is in the center of the universeGeocentric models had the earth as the center of the universe with the sun and all the planets orbiting it. Heliocentric models (the current accepted ones) have the sun as the center, with the earth and planets orbiting it.Geocentric was the idea developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of an earth-centered view of the solar system. With Christianity's influence, people had thought that God put Earth in the center of the universe. Heliocentric came later on by Italian astronomer Galileo that the sun was put at the center of the solar system while Earth and all the other planets orbit around it.


How are the heliocentric theory and the geocentric theory different?

Heliocentric = The Sun is at the center of our solar system. Geocentric = The Earth is at the center of our solar system. Insisting the Sun is at the center, which it is, once very much angered the church.


What was the difference between the geocentric theory and the helicentric theory?

Geocentrism places Earth at the center of the planetary system. Heliocentrism, correctly, places the sun at the center, hence: the Solar System.


What celestical body is at the center of your solar system?

As proposed by the Heliocentric Theory, the Sun is the center of the Solar System.


What is the accepted theory of speciation?

Caralous linnaeus theory is accepted theory of speciation


Which theory explains that the earth is the center of the solar system?

Geocentricism.


Was Copernicus theory widely accepted?

The heliocentric theory became widely accepted when it was found that the Sun is by a long way the most massive object in the solar system. That happened in the 18th century.