How the Moon Formed: The Giant Impact Theory Explained by Its Creators

In the 1980s there was a conference held in Hawaii, its main objective being to come to a collective decision about how the moon had been formed.  As Hawaii is not unknown for its desirability as a holiday destination, it wasn’t long before there was a queue of astronomers asking to attend the conference.  It was in Hawaii that the giant impact hypothesis finally won out.

The astronomer referred to as Bill throughout the video is William Hartmann. Alongside his colleague Don Davis, he is credited with developing the giant impact hypothesis in the 1970s, which proposes that the Moon formed from debris following a massive collision between Earth and another smaller planet.  In this video, the two reminisce about the fateful Hawaii conference, as well as talking about three theories about the moon’s remaining mystery (you need to watch the video to discover what that it!).