On the origin of the moon : a review of current theories and a four-body scenario for a recent capture event

The problem of Moon origin has been studied since centuries. Till man brought back lunar rocks, a commonly accepted theory (among over thirty presented) considered that Moon arose together with Earth from the same cloud of gas and dust whose condensation, via complex processes, is thought to explain the formation of planets. However analysis of the rocks showed a different isotopic structure than the terrestrial rocks, a fact that invalidates the common origin theory. Here we review some of the new theories, the dominant one being that Moon formed from material ejected in space, but remaining gravitationally tied to Earth, after a giant tangential impact with a body of size similar to Mars. Then we give arguments from ancient traditions and religions that Moon's origin may be quite recent, probably to be dated at circa 9450 BC, when Earth captured it from a large body passing by. This passage was catastrophic to our planet, ending rapidly the last Ice Age and the associated Atlantis civilization. We also argue that Shinto's divinity was originally not Sun, but Moon.