In order to diversify the festive table, a woman often tries...
Photo: Moon- a natural satellite of the Earth and a unique alien world visited by humanity.
Moon
Characteristics of the Moon
The Moon revolves around the Earth in an orbit whose semi-major axis is 383,000 km (ellipticity 0.055). The plane of the lunar orbit is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic at an angle of 5°09. Rotation period equals 27 days 7 hours 43 minutes. This is the sidereal or sidereal period. The synodic period - the period of change of lunar phases - is equal to 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes. The period of rotation of the Moon around its axis is equal to the sidereal period. Because the time of one revolution The Moon around the Earth is exactly equal to the time of one revolution around its axis, the Moon always facing the Earth the same side. The Moon is the most visible object in the sky after Sun. Maximum magnitude equal to – 12.7m.
Weight Earth's satellite is 7.3476*1022 kg (81.3 times less than the mass of the Earth), average density p = 3.35 g/cm3, equatorial radius - 1,737 km. There is almost no contraction from the poles. The acceleration of gravity on the surface is g = 1.63 m/s2. The Moon's gravity could not retain its atmosphere, if it ever had one.
Internal structure
Density The density of the Moon is comparable to the density of the Earth's mantle. Therefore, the Moon either has no or very insignificant iron core. The internal structure of the Moon was studied using seismic data transmitted to Earth by devices of the Apollo space expeditions. The thickness of the Moon's crust is 60–100 km.
Photo: Moon - internal structure
Thickness upper mantle 400 km. In it, seismic velocities depend on depth and decrease depending on distance. Thickness middle mantle about 600 km. In the middle mantle, seismic velocities are constant. Lower mantle located below 1100 km. Core The Moon, starting at a depth of 1500 km, is probably liquid. It contains virtually no iron. As a result, the Moon has a very weak magnetic field, not exceeding one ten-thousandth of the Earth's magnetic field. Local magnetic anomalies have been recorded.
Atmosphere
There is virtually no atmosphere on the Moon. This explains the sudden temperature changes several hundred degrees. During the daytime, the surface temperature reaches 130 C, and at night it drops to –170 C. At the same time, at a depth of 1 m, the temperature is almost always constant. Sky above the Moon is always black, since for the formation of a blue color of the sky it is necessary air, which is missing there. There is no weather there, and the winds do not blow. In addition, the moon reigns complete silence.
Photo: the surface of the Moon and its atmosphere
Visible part
Can only be traced from Earth visible part of the Moon. But this is not 50% of the surface, but a little more. The Moon revolves around the Earth ellipse, near perigee the Moon moves faster, and near apogee it moves slower. But the Moon rotates uniformly around its axis. As a result, an oscillation in longitude is formed. Its probable maximum value is 7°54. Due to libration, we have a chance to observe from the Earth, in addition to the visible side of the Moon, also the adjacent narrow strips of the territory of its reverse side. In total, 59% of the lunar surface can be seen from Earth.
Moon in early times
There is an assumption that in the early times of its history, the Moon rotated around its axis faster and, therefore, turned towards the Earth with various parts of its surface. But due to the proximity of the massive Earth, impressive tidal waves were generated in the solid body of the Moon. The process of deceleration of the Moon lasted until it was invariably turned to us with only one side.
We have already found out that the simplest way to find out is to “ring” it using seismic waves. However, if inducing man-made seismic vibrations on Earth and then measuring them is as simple as shelling pears, fortunately, our planet is always “under our feet,” then what should we do when studying distant planets or their satellites, like ours?
As you might guess, things are not going well here; in fact, you can’t just “bomb” planets and then record the speed of propagation of seismic waves. If only for the reason that to register these very seismic waves, seismographs are needed, which also need to be delivered to the surface of the planet, which cannot always be done quickly and without problems.
With regard to the Moon, which is located relatively close to the Earth, we are incredibly lucky. There was no need to even carry a “bomb” - used space launch systems were used as it. American researchers used the lunar module or the third stage of the launch vehicle for this purpose. "Saturn-5", the fall of which was strictly regulated.
The lunar module was dropped onto the lunar surface from a height of about 100 km at a certain point, taking into account the position of a pre-installed seismograph. The study of lunar seismograms showed that this celestial body, like the Earth, consists of several shells.
Internal structure of the Moon
Lithosphere of the Moon (outer sphere of the Moon)
The Earth's satellite, the Moon, also has similarities with it. Studying its depths using moonquakes and measuring physical fields showed that it is generally more homogeneous than the Earth.
A feature of the deep structure of the Moon is its division approximately in half into “hard” cold outer sphere and "plastic" heated internal area, located at depths of 800-1000 km. There is a transition zone between the outer and inner shells. The outer shell, by analogy with the Earth, is named lithosphere.
The lunar lithosphere is very rigid and of such good quality that seismic signals generated in it are recorded for a long time. A jump in the speed of seismic waves is established at a section of the crust of the Moon and its mantle and is explained by changes in the composition of rocks.
The thickness of the crust varies widely from 150 km on its reverse side to 40 km at the poles. IN Sea of Rains the estimated capacity is 60 km.
Mantle of the Moon (inner sphere of the Moon)
Unlike the Earth, where the speed of seismic waves generally increases with depth, on the Moon an increase in speeds is observed only within the crust. In the lunar mantle, the speed of seismic waves does not increase.
In the transition zone, located deeper than 500-600 km, the physical properties of rocks change sharply and the energy of seismic waves decreases. This is where the hearths are located. tidal moonquakes.
The inner sphere of the Moon is characterized by a sharp weakening of the amplitude of transverse seismic waves. Because transverse waves do not pass through it, it resembles the Earth's core and is probably in a liquid state. However, on the Moon it is named asthenosphere, because the pressure here is the same as in the Earth’s asthenosphere at depths of 100-150 km.
The thickness of the Earth's asthenosphere is 1/30-1/60 of its radius, and the asthenosphere of the Moon is 10 times thicker and is half the lunar radius.
In the center of the Moon there is an iron sulfide molten core with a radius of 200-400 km.
This article is a message or report about the Moon. It contains a brief characteristic the only natural satellite of our planet. It includes: the main astronomical parameters of the Moon, mutual attraction with the Earth, internal structure, theories of origin, description of the surface.
Basic astronomical parameters
Maximum distance from Earth (apogee) 406,800 km
Minimum distance from Earth (perigee) 356,400 km
Equator diameter 3,476 km
Average surface temperature (day side) 130º C
Average surface temperature (night side)-180º C
Period of revolution around the Earth 27.3 Earth days
Period of rotation around the axis 29.5 Earth days
The Moon is the closest celestial body to Earth: the average distance to it is about 384,400 km. Just as the planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun, so the Moon revolves around the Earth in an elliptical orbit. In some parts of its path it comes closest to our planet (356,400 km). This point in its orbit is called perigee(Greek peri- “near”, “around” and ge- "Earth"). On others, on the contrary, the distance from the Earth to the Moon becomes maximum, amounting to approximately 406,800 km. This part of the orbit is called climax(lit. “far from the Earth”).
Moon phases
In the orbital cycle, which takes less than an earthly month, lies the secret of the Moon changing its appearance and position in the sky. Everyone knows that on some nights she is not visible at all. In others, it may be a sickle of different sizes or a full disk. These conditions, called phases of the moon, are determined by the revolution of the latter around the Earth. We see parts of the lunar surface of different sizes illuminated by the Sun. For example, if the Moon is in the southern part of the celestial sphere, then the right half of our planet’s satellite (the so-called first quarter) will be illuminated. If the Moon is closer to the Sun, that is, in the western part of the sky, then the area of its surface reflecting the sun's rays will sharply decrease. In this case, only a narrow sickle will be visible.
How does the new moon come?
During the time when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth (this phase is called new moon), its illuminated surface turns out to be completely facing the star. Then for an earthly observer this celestial body becomes completely invisible.
How does the full moon come?
And vice versa - the more the Moon approaches the eastern part of the sky, the larger part of it becomes visible. At some point, the entire side of the planet facing us turns out to be illuminated by the Sun - the full moon.
How do eclipses happen?
During a new or full moon, when the Earth, Sun and Moon are in line, eclipses can occur.
Moon eclipse
When the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, the shadow from the latter falls on the Moon. As a result, it happens moon eclipse.
Solar eclipse
If the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, then solar eclipse.
Mutual attraction of the Earth and the Moon
Celestial bodies that orbit more massive neighbors - just as the Moon orbits our planet - are called satellites. The Moon, unlike the natural satellites of other planets in the Solar System, is unusually large relative to the Earth. Its diameter is 3,476 km.
Some scientists are even inclined to consider the Earth and the Moon not so much a planet and its satellite, but rather a double planetary system. Due to the fact that such massive bodies are in close proximity to each other, their mutual influence is very great. The Moon has a noticeable effect on the Earth's oceans, causing the tides to rise and fall. At the same time, the Earth's gravity leads to moonquakes - similar to earthquakes, but less strong and less frequent vibrations of the Moon's surface.
Internal structure
In terms of the structure of their interiors, the Earth and the Moon are very similar. Both the former and the latter have a massive, iron-rich core surrounded by a mantle. The bark is a fairly thin layer of hard rock. The difference is that the lunar crust, unlike the earth's, is not divided into tectonic plates that drift along the mantle underneath. Apparently, the Moon also does not have a liquid core shell in which movements would occur leading to self-excitation of the magnetic field. The Earth's satellite does not have it.
Origin theories
There are several theories about this. The first of them, the so-called separation theory, suggests the loss of the Earth during the process of its formation (about 4.6 billion years ago) of some part, which became an independent celestial body.
According to another - theories accretion(lat. accretio- “increasing”) - the formation of the Moon and the Earth occurred simultaneously and from the same elements.
Another one, capture theory, is that the Moon, which formed independently in another part of the solar system, was then attracted by the Earth.
However, the most interesting is collision theory. As follows from it, the already formed and cooling Earth collided at great speed with a planet whose diameter was about 6,700 km. The hot fragments of both celestial bodies thrown into space became the basis for the formation of the “night Sun” familiar to us all.
Surface of the Moon
The rotation of the Moon around its axis coincides with the rotation of this celestial body around the Earth in such a way that only one side of it is always turned towards us. It is called synchronous access or spin-orbit coupling. The side constantly visible from the Earth is called - visible, and the opposite - reverse.
If you use any optical instrument to examine the lunar surface closely, you will see a lot of details not visible to the naked eye.
Studies have shown that most of the lunar surface consists of plateaus more than 5 km high. They are mainly concentrated on the far side of the Moon - according to scientists, the planet’s crust is thicker there. And in the lunar seas, despite the name, there is not a drop of water. These huge valleys were apparently formed by collisions of dense meteorite showers with the surface of the planet. At the same time, lava poured into the gaps formed in the crust, filling huge areas.
No signs of life were found on the Moon - and not surprisingly. Due to the lack of an atmosphere, the surface of the Moon constantly experiences huge temperature changes: on the day side it is 130º C, and on the night side it is down to -180º C.
Ufologists from France discovered buildings on the moon; a video of these buildings can be seen below. It was this sensational statement that tore the public apart. Some people believe, others, especially NASA, are trying to pass off buildings on the Moon as wild imagination. The most interesting thing about this is that there are already rumors related to the Moon; its mysteries raise a lot of questions, including quite a few related to NASA, which is trying to hide the results of its work related to the Moon. This is Apollo, and the question of why flights to the Moon suddenly stopped, and worn-out lunar photographs and a bunch of other questions. The following photographs often appear:
And such photos
And interesting videos:
At a time when the Americans at NASA became interested in searching for formslife on Mars, wasting the budget on rather expensive programs, and hiding the true reason for curtailing the program of flights to the Moon, French researchers discovered the remains of structures of other civilizations on the Moon. RosRegister reports.
To identify the sensation, they needed a regular computer with a service from Google, Google-Moon, installed on it. With its help, the French examined mysterious objects on the surface of the Moon, or, correctly speaking, the ruins of certain structures or buildings.
About fifty buildings located quite close to each other were discovered. When compared to similar distances on Earth, this is comparable to three average urban neighborhoods. The French, who carefully study the lunar surface remotely, are convinced of the artificiality of the structures found. Moreover, they were clearly made by an unknown civilization.
It is worth noting that before the discovery of this mysterious find, S. Waring more than once argued that there were extraterrestrial civilizations on the satellite. His confidence was based on the identified buildings, probably erected by the inhabitants of a distant planet, who for some reason chose the Moon. Perhaps the Moon is an outpost or basealiens(perhaps it was this circumstance that forced the Americans to curtail their program on the Moon).
The researcher was even able to quite accurately mark the place where the triangular-shaped object was located and it was located not far from the Lambert depression on the side of the V. Tereshkova crater.
Skeptical citizens expressed doubts about the presence of intelligent aliens at such a close distance. After all, if this were so, then why weren’t people able to see these structures earlier? They have been in the same place for a very long time. Also, modern scientists have not received real confirmation of the presence of alien creatures or buildings there.
Opponents put forward their arguments in the dispute; more than once there have been reports that the Moon may well be an alien base. Science has not come to a single opinion about the shape of alien inhabitants. One of the assumptions is the presence among earthlings of aliens who have been living on Earth for a long time. But we cannot yet recognize them and understand how they penetrate our world.
People only receive indirect evidence of a nearby presence. It can also manifest itself in traces left on other planets, including in our star system. UFO experts assure that this issue will be resolved in the very near future. However, American scientists from NASA responded very harshly to this French statement, calling the buildings found on the Moon just a wild fantasy. Although if we remember NASA, as has been proven more than once, hides a lot, maybe this is the reason and such a statement, subject to wide publicity, can harm their plans?
Buildings on the moon video.
http://7lostworlds.ru/blog/43326648835/Postroyki-na-Lune?utm_campaign=transit&utm_source=main&utm_medium=page_0&domain=mirtesen.ru&paid=1&pad=1&tmd=1
Features of the "structure" - surface
How were lunar craters formed? This question became the reason for a long discussion, which, thanks to the light hand of the Spanish astronomer Antonio Palusi-Borel, was called the “Hundred Years War”. We are talking about the struggle between supporters of two hypotheses of the origin of lunar craters: volcanic and meteorite.
According to the volcanic hypothesis, which was put forward in the 80s. XVIII century German astronomer Johann Schröter, the craters arose as a result of enormous eruptions on the surface of the Moon. In 1824, his compatriot Franz von Gruithuisen proposed the meteorite theory, which explained the formation of craters by the fall of meteorites. In his opinion, with such impacts, the lunar surface is pushed through.
Only 113 years later, in 1937, the Russian student Kirill Petrovich Stanyukovich (future doctor of science and professor) proved that when meteorites strike at cosmic speeds, an explosion occurs, as a result of which not only the meteorite evaporates, but also part of the rocks at the impact site. Stanyukovich's explosive theory was developed in 1947-1960. themselves, and then by other researchers.
Flights to the Moon starting in 1964 by American spacecraft of the Ranger series, the discovery of craters on Mars and Mercury, and then on planetary satellites and asteroids brought the final result in this “hundred-year war”, which lasted not 100 years, but much longer. The meterite theory is now generally accepted.
In 1811, French astronomer Francois Arago discovered the polarization of light reflected by the Moon. This meant that the lunar surface would have to be covered with a layer of finely crushed soil. In the seas the polarization was stronger than on the continents.
In 1918, Russian scientist Nikolai Pavlovich Barabashov, while studying the dependence of the brightness of lunar formations on the angle of incidence of solar rays, discovered a strange circumstance. Each section of the lunar surface reaches its maximum brightness not when the Sun is at its zenith above it, as one would expect, but at the full moon, when the reflected ray meets the incident solar ray.
It took some time for astronomers to figure out the reasons for this phenomenon. Clear ideas about the nature of the lunar surface were formed only in the middle of the 20th century. In the 50s it was found that the lunar soil is indeed finely crushed (obviously by impacts of small meteorites), and such a substance, as shown by theoretical studies and special experiments, reflects the most light in the direction from which the illuminating beam comes.
In 1959, Russian researcher Nadezhda Nikolaevna Sytinskaya proposed the meteoric-slag theory of the formation of lunar soil. According to this theory, the heat transferred during a meteorite impact to the outer cover - the regolith of the Moon - is spent not only on its melting and evaporation, but also on the formation of slags, which manifest themselves in the color features of the lunar surface.
The meteor-slag theory was for some time opposed by the dust hypothesis of the American astronomer Thomas Gold. He believed that the Moon was covered with a thick layer of dust, in which spacecraft and the astronauts themselves could drown when descending to its surface. The soft landing on the Moon of the Soviet automatic interplanetary station Luna-9 on February 3, 1966 completely refuted this point of view. American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, who first set foot on the lunar surface on July 21, 1969, were able to verify the validity of the meteor-slag theory.
Back in the 19th century. The temperature of the lunar surface was measured, its changes were monitored during the lunar day, as well as during eclipses, when the Moon plunges into the shadow of the Earth and is thus deprived of sunlight and heat. Due to the absence of an atmosphere during the daytime (which is 14.7 Earth days), under the influence of the burning rays of the sun it heats up to 120-130°C. At night, the lunar heat freely escapes into outer space and the temperature drops to -150°C. Something similar is observed during lunar eclipses.
Internal structure of the Moon
The density of the Moon is 3340 kg/m 3 - the same as that of the Earth's mantle. This means that our satellite either does not have a dense iron core, or it is very small. More detailed studies were obtained as a result of seismic experiments.
Seismic exploration of the Moon began as a curiosity. At the very end of the first manned expedition to the Moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, moving 20 m south of the lunar ship, installed a seismometer - one of two scientific instruments that they left on the Moon (the second was a quartz reflector for laser ranging from Earth) . The astronauts had to install this device very carefully, oriented to the cardinal points and vertically, since then no one would be able to approach it to fix a possible problem. Observations with this seismometer were supposed to show whether there is modern tectonic activity on the Moon, or whether it is a geologically dead celestial body. As soon as the seismometer was installed, it was immediately turned on by command from the Mission Control Center on Earth. Those present in the hall of the Control Center on the outskirts of the Texas city of Houston were surprised to see that the device immediately began to report moonquakes. They occurred continuously, in the form of a whole series of successive shocks. However, it soon became clear that this was not the result of unrest in the lunar interior - the surface of our satellite was shaken by the steps of two astronauts moving away from the seismometer to their spacecraft. The device was so sensitive that it could detect a pea-sized rock falling onto the lunar surface at a distance of 1 km from the seismometer location.
This seismometer subsequently reported numerous tremors inside the Moon, dispelling the idea that geological activity on the moon had long ceased. It turned out that seismic tremors occur regularly on the Moon, but they are very different from earthquakes on our planet. Subsequently, four more seismometers were left on the lunar surface. Long-term observations with their help made it possible to register thousands of moonquakes, most of which were repeated many times in the same sources. Between 600 and 3,000 seismic events occur on the Moon per year. Four types of moonquakes have been identified - tidal, tectonic,
meteorite And thermal. Tidal movements of the Moon occur twice a month, every two weeks, when the Moon is in line with the Earth and the Sun, that is, during full moons and new moons. During these periods, the effect of the tidal forces of the Earth and the Sun on the Moon intensifies. When these three celestial bodies are located on the same line, the forces of their mutual influence on each other are summed up, which leads to the occurrence of moonquakes on the Moon at a depth of 800-1000 km.
Tectonic moonquakes occur during movements in the shallow layers of the Moon (100-300 km). They occur less frequently than tidal waves, and their strength is much weaker.
The source of meteorite moonquakes are explosions that occur when meteorites fall onto the surface of the Moon. Most moonquakes of this type occur when the Moon's orbit is crossed by a meteor shower. But there may also be falls of single meteorites.
Thermal moonquakes, the weakest of all, begin at sunrise, when, after a long night, lasting about 14 Earth days on the Moon, the cold surface begins to heat up sharply. In this case, ground movements occur on steep slopes, landslides, screes and other displacements of the upper layer, leading to slight tremors of the lunar surface.
Observations carried out from 1969 to 1978 showed that the Moon is very “sounding” - it continues to vibrate after moonquakes for an hour, and sometimes longer. Such tremors differ sharply from those on Earth, where surface vibrations last only a few minutes. The lack of water on the Moon is the main reason for the duration of the oscillations. The presence of water in rocks serves as a strong shock absorber on the earth, dampening vibration.
The oscillations of the Moon during seismic events - weak and long-lasting - resemble a quiet, drawn-out howl, in contrast to the strong but short-lived oscillations of the Earth, which resemble a loud, sharp scream.
Asymmetrical Moon
As a result of the research, it turned out that our natural satellite turned out to be geologically asymmetrical - almost all moonquakes recorded by seismometers over 8 years of observations occurred on the visible side of the Moon. On the far side, only five epicenters of moonquakes are known, while on the visible side there are several dozen. A similar asymmetry is observed in the distribution of the main types of relief on the surface of the Moon - seas and continents. Almost all dark areas - lunar seas - are located only on the visible side. These are plains composed of dark material - basaltic lavas, similar to those found on the Central Siberian Plateau. The light areas, called the lunar continent, occupy 2/3 of the visible side of the Moon, and the seas are interspersed into it in separate small areas. The lunar continent is more ancient than the seas; it was formed 4.5 billion years ago, and 3 billion years ago its lowest parts were flooded by basalts that poured out from the bowels of the Moon. The Moon's volcanic and seismic activity peaked 3 billion years ago, when extensive lava eruptions occurred, creating the dark basalt plains of the lunar seas.
The energy released per year during moonquakes is several billion times less than that of earthquakes. Most of this energy is released at depths of 600-800 km, that is, at the bottom of the solid shell of the Moon - the lithosphere. Deeper than this layer, the substance is in a partially molten state (asthenosphere), and in the very center of the Moon there may be a completely molten small core of iron sulfide.
The main reasons for the seismic activity of the Moon are the tidal influence of the Earth and the fall of large meteorites. Meteor moonquakes can cause the slopes of lunar craters to collapse until they become flat enough to prevent landslides from forming on them.
On the Moon, the energy loss of elastic waves is very small, so earthquakes are felt at very large distances from the epicenter of the seismic event. Moreover, on the Moon the amplitude of oscillations is much smaller than on Earth. A person standing on the surface of the Moon will not even feel that the ground beneath him is shaking. But the secondary effects of lunar seismic activity can serve as a source of danger for people or instruments on the Moon. Weak attenuation of seismic waves can lead to collapses of crater slopes or landslides in mountainous areas over large areas and at great distances from the epicenter. The astronauts of Apollo 17, the last expedition to the Moon, which took place in 1972, investigated a landslide, the formation of which is associated with a meteorite impact that created the Tycho crater 100 million years ago, located 2,000 km from the expedition site. However, the likelihood of major seismic events is very low. Such moonquakes only occur when large meteorites fall, which is extremely rare.
Lantern for the rocky depths
Seismology is the study of earthquakes and the causes that give rise to them, a science whose name comes from the Greek word “seismos”, which means “oscillations”. One of the founders of seismology, Russian physicist Academician Golitsyn, figuratively noted back in 1912 that “every earthquake can be likened to a lantern that lights up for a short time and illuminates the insides of the Earth, thereby allowing us to see what is happening there.” Indeed, almost all modern ideas about the internal structure of our planet are based on the interpretation
 |
Missile strikes on the Moon
The astronauts themselves, in order to cause “translucency” of the lunar interior, deliberately created moonquakes in various ways. For example, the Apollo 12 astronauts, after returning to the orbital ship, dropped their lunar compartment from orbit onto the surface of the Moon. Apollo 14 astronauts Shepard and Mitchell conducted a seismic experiment in which they detonated 13 small charges located on the lunar surface. Explosions of such charges, installed at the end of a pole with which the astronaut rested on the lunar soil, created small moonquakes. Seismic waves from them were recorded by a device installed nearby. In this way, information was obtained about the structure of the lunar interior at a depth of several tens of meters. Leaving the Moon, several expeditions left grenade launchers on its surface, which were subsequently activated by commands from the Earth. The explosions of these grenades provided insight into the structure of the upper layers of the lunar crust at a greater depth than the explosions carried out by the astronauts themselves using hand-held devices.
The fall of four lunar modules of the Apollo spacecraft and the last five stages of the Saturn V lunar launch vehicle to the Moon showed that a powerful continental crust covers the entire Moon, without dividing, as on Earth, into separate continents, and only in some places it thins out and is covered by basalt covers. Beneath the crust to a depth of 800 km lies the mantle, in which, starting at a depth of about 100 km, signs of weak modern activity appear, manifested by moonquakes. Below 800 km, apparently, a significant amount of melt appears, which does not transmit transverse seismic waves. The epicenters of moonquakes form two wide, blurred belts that do not coincide with the belts of the dark seas.
Theories of the origin of the Moon
Over the past 120 years, three hypotheses for the origin of our satellite have been put forward. The first was proposed in 1879 by the English astronomer and mathematician George Darwin, the son of the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. According to this hypothesis, the Moon once separated from the Earth, which was in a liquid state at that time (such ideas about the Earth’s past prevailed at the end of the 19th century). Studies of the evolution of the lunar orbit did indicate that the Moon was once much closer to the Earth than it is now.
Changing views on the Earth's past and criticism of Darwin's hypothesis by Russian geophysicist Vladimir Nikolaevich Lodochnikov forced scientists, starting in 1939, to look for other ways of the formation of the Moon. In 1962, American geophysicist Harold Urey suggested that the Earth captured the already formed Moon. However, in addition to the very small probability of such an event, the similarity in the composition of the Moon and the Earth’s mantle spoke against Urey’s hypothesis.
In the 60s Russian researcher Evgenia Leonidovna Ruskol, developing the ideas of her teacher, mathematician Otto Yulievich Schmidt, built a theory of the joint formation of the Earth and the Moon as a double planet from a cloud of preplanetary bodies that once surrounded the Sun. This theory was supported by many Western scientists. According to Australian geophysicist Edward Ringwood, who has worked extensively on the problem of the origin of the Moon, of all the hypotheses created before the launch of the Apollo series spacecraft, only the Ruskol model does not have serious shortcomings. Its development continues...
