
- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The Big Splat, or How Our Moon Came to Be
About this book
The first popular book to explain the dramatic theory behind the Moon's genesis
This lively science history relates one of the great recent breakthroughs in planetary astronomy-a successful theory of the birth of the Moon. Science journalist Dana Mackenzie traces the evolution of this theory, one little known outside the scientific community: a Mars-sized object collided with Earth some four billion years ago, and the remains of this colossal explosion-the Big Splat-came together to form the Moon. Beginning with notions of the Moon in ancient cosmologies, Mackenzie relates the fascinating history of lunar speculation, moving from Galileo and Kepler to George Darwin (son of Charles) and the Apollo astronauts, whose trips to the lunar surface helped solve one of the most enigmatic mysteries of the night sky: who hung the Moon?
Dana Mackenzie (Santa Cruz, CA) is a freelance science journalist. His articles have appeared in such magazines as Science, Discover, American Scientist, The Sciences, and New Scientist.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction: Genesis Revised
- 1 A Highly Practical Stone
- 2 The Stone Star
- 3 Kepler Laughed
- 4 The Clockwork Solar System
- 5 Daughter Moon
- 6 Captive Moon
- 7 Sister Moon
- 8 Renaissance and Controversy
- 9 “A Little Science on the Moon”
- 10 When Worlds Collide
- 11 The Kona Consensus
- 12 Introducing Theia
- Appendix: Did We Really Go to the Moon?
- Glossary
- References
- Acknowledgments
- Index