Occam's origin of the Moon

摘要

The Earth and Moon share a history that becomes increasingly intertwined the more we study it. What we know about the orbital dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the geologically violent early Solar System suggests that the Moon was born in a giant impact with a proto-Earth. In a two-part meeting organized by the Royal Society, London, in September 2013~(1,2), an interdisciplinary group of scientists gathered for the third Origin of the Moon conference to reassess the giant impact hypothesis within the framework of recent advancements in our physical and chemical understanding of the formation of our familiar satellite.