Once a leading theory of the origin of the Earth-Moon system, the Capture Theory is simple and intuitively plausible. The numerous instances of moons with retrograde orbits show that capture is fairly common. The lunar orbit’s three moments of inertia are consistent with a past very eccentric orbit, suggestive of capture. However, the Moon would have to come from a different part of the solar system to account for its very depleted iron compared to the Earth’s iron, which means that it would approach the Earth at a high velocity that would prevent capture. Researchers have searched in vain for a braking mechanism that would slow it down so it could be captured. Still, the accumulated evidence and arguments make the Capture Theory a viable one.
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Tags: Capture theory, Earth, earth science, Earth-Moon system, Giant Impact, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, moon, origin of Earth, origin of Mars, origin of the Moon, Outer Solar System Origin of the Terrestrial Planets, oxygen isotope ratios, planetary science
Historian and scientific researcher Kenneth J. Dillon discusses his theory The Outer Solar System Origin of the Terrestrial Planets (OSSO). OSSO explains how Mercury, Earth, the Moon, and Mars originated outside the orbit of Saturn, then were pulled inward by Jupiter’s gravity. Tidal friction heated them to incandescence, then they tidally locked to Jupiter and were separated, moving as comets into their present orbits. See also https://www.scientiapress.com/outer-solar-system-origin.
Outer Solar System Origin of the Terrestrial Planets
Tags: Bronze Age catastrophes, Capture theory, Immanuel Velikovsky, inner solar system, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, moon, Oceanus Procellarum, planetary science, terrestrial, tidal locking, venus
