Space Exploration 1959—Soviet Luna spacecraft first encountered the moon. 1969—Apollo Astronauts from the United States landed on the moon.
Theories for the Origin of the Moon l Earth and moon formed simultaneously, with the moon in orbit around the earth.
Theories for the Origin of the Moon l Earth was spinning so fast that a chunk of it spun off into orbit.
Theories for the Origin of the Moon l The Moon formed elsewhere in the solar system and was captured by Earth’s gravitational field.
Theories for the Origin of the Moon l The moon formed about 4. 6 billion years ago as a result of a collision between Earth and a planetsized object.
Development of the Moon l Over the first ½ billion years of the moon’s life, the moon was constantly impacted with meteoroids and other planetary objects.
Development of the Moon l The frequent impacts melted the surface layers forming a huge “magma ocean. ” l The crust cooled and hardened.
Development of the Moon l Additional impacts continued to gouge out craters and depressions on the moon’s surface; this formed the pitted surface that is seen today.
Impact Craters Lunar craters are circular hollows on the moon’s surface formed after a meteoroid strikes. l The smallest craters are microscopic pits, but the largest are nearly 2100 kilometers across. l
Impact Craters l Most craters are named after people from around the world including Einstein, Edison, Fermat, Scobee, and Copernicus.
Impact Craters l Rays radiate from a number of craters. l Rays form from shattered rock and dust that were splashed out by the meteoroid that formed the crater.