Formation theories for the Moon have come and gone due to the discovery of new knowledge. The fission theory postulated that the Moon separated from the Earth in the vicinity of what is now the Pacific Ocean. Why is this early 20th century notion totally discredited today? What discovery in the mid-1960s provided the evidence to disprove this theory? [Hint: The first clue came from Alfred Wegener. His theory was at first ridiculed but was later shown to be true from research in the 1960s–1970s. Wegener’s theory was renamed as what? Our current model also explains earthquakes. To answer this you will have to Google.]

Which of the following planetary traits is well established? choose one of the following: a) Mercury has a similar compositon to that of our moon, in that they both have a substantial metal content.  b) Venus rotates more rapidly than Earth, but in the opposite direction.   c) Earth's atmosphere exhibits a slightly stronger greenhouse effect than that seen on Venus.   d)Astronomers have precisely calculated the mass of Mercury thanks to artificial satellites sent from Earth.

4) Science fiction movies often portray asteroid belts as crowded, dense regions that require spaceships to maneuver quickly to get through them. In this problem, we will calculate the fraction of volume in an asteroid belt that is actually occupied by asteroids. a) If there are 300,000 large asteroids between 2 and 3 AU from the Sun, and each asteroid is assumed to be spherical with a radius of 100 km, determine the total volume occupied by asteroids in this region. Recall that the volume of a sphere is given by the equation V = 4TR³ /3. b) Let's assume the region in which these asteroids orbit is an annulus with an inner radius of 2 AU, an outer radius of 3 AU, and a thickness of 2Ro. Determine the volume of this region. Recall that the area of a circle is given by the equation A = TR². Here are two conversions that you'll need: 1 AU = 1.496 × 108 km and 1 Ro = 6.955 × 105 km. c) What is the ratio of the volume occupied by asteroids to the volume of the asteroid belt (i.e., the…

Question: The current and most scientifically accurate theory for the formation of the Moon is:  a.) The large impact theory.  b.) The capture theory.  c.) The fission theory.  d.) The twin formation theory.