The Moon is the closest neighbor we have in the sky and is the one we know the most about. The Moon plays an important role in our lives, from the tides its gravitational pull creates in our oceans to the organization of our calendars and how we tell time.
There are many theories about the formation of the Moon. The Fission theory proposed the Moon broke off from the Earth's crust. The Capture theory speculates that the Moon was a separate object, captured by the Earth's gravity. The Co-formation theory hypothesizes the Earth and Moon formed at the same time.
The most supported theory is the Giant Impact theory . It states that a large object, perhaps the size of Mars hit earth and blasted off material that eventually condesed and cool off and became our moon.
Image at right: Our Moon (courtesy of NASA).
