The first book to explain the current theory behind the moon's genesis.
This lively science history relates one of the great recent breakthroughs in astronomy - a successful theory of the birth of the moon that is little known outside of the scientific community. Respected science journalist Dana Mackenzie traces the evolution of this theory: that an object collided with Earth some four billion years ago, and the remains of this explosion - the Big Splat - coalesced to form the moon.
Beginning with notions of the moon in classical cosmology, Mackenzie relates the fascinating history of lunar speculation, moving from Galileo and Newton to George Darwin (son of Charles) and modern astronauts and astronomers.
