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origin of the moon Accidental Occurrences
No discussion of the moon should conclude
without mentioning that its very existence is the result of a series of
"accidental occurrences." It was recently shown by Professor A. G. W.
Cameron of Harvard University that the moon resulted from "the impact on
the Earth of a planetary body a little larger than Mars."(1) Computer
simulations have established how our moon was formed from remnants of the
collision between a planetary body and the earth. Our moon is thus
unique, having been formed by a process quite different from that
responsible for the formation of the other moons of the solar system.
It should be emphasized that the detailed
computer calculations of Professor Cameron and his colleagues have
demonstrated that the moon would not have resulted from a
collision between planetary bodies unless certain stringent conditions
were met. Our moon was formed from a planetary collision because the
colliding body just happened to have the required mass, just
happened to have the required relative velocity and angle of
collision, and just happened to have the required composition for
its core and mantle. If these constraints on the motion and composition
of the colliding body had not been satisfied, then the collision would
have been shattering and no moon would have formed.
We reiterate that the moon is not merely an
attractive ornament that decorates the night sky. The moon has played a
crucial role in producing and maintaining the present mild climate on the
earth. The weather we now enjoy is completely different from the
extremely harsh climate that prevailed during the preceding ice age. The
mild climate of the past few thousand years has permitted the flourishing
of human society. Indeed, the condition of man's existence has been
decisively altered by the many profound cultural changes that have
occurred since the end of the ice age. Impressive accomplishments have
been recorded in every sphere of human endeavor. Major technological
advances have transformed man from a modest inhabitant of the earth to the
triumphant conqueror of the moon--all within the short span of a few
thousand years. This unprecedented blossoming of human activity, leading
to man's accelerated cultural development, has been made possible by the
recent dramatic improvement in the weather worldwide. And the weather we
experience today is directly related to the influence of the moon on the
earth.
(1) "Science and the Citizen," Scientific
American, vol. 254, June 1986, pp. 67-68.
excerpt from: "In the Beginning: Biblical Creation and Science," by Professor Nathan Aviezer RELATED: SimpleToRemember.com - Judaism Online |
