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Abstract

▪ Abstract 

The giant impact theory is the leading hypothesis for the origin of the Moon. This review focuses on dynamical aspects of an impact-induced lunar formation, in particular those areas that have advanced considerably in the past decade, including () late-stage terrestrial accretion, () giant impact simulations, () protolunar disk evolution and lunar accretion, and () the origin of the initial lunar inclination. In all, recent developments now provide a reasonably consistent dynamical account of the origin of the Moon through a late giant impact with Earth, and suggest that the impact-generation of satellites is likely to be a common process in late-stage solid planet formation.

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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.astro.41.082201.113457
2004-09-22
2024-03-29
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  • Article Type: Review Article
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