Thursday, April 16, 2026

Howtown explains why 'The Moon's origin story doesn't add up' for Throwback Thursday

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today's evergreen entry is Howtown explaining why The Moon's origin story doesn't add up.

How do we know where the moon came from? In this episode, Howtown dives into the giant impact hypothesis (the least bad theory of lunar origin) and the growing evidence that the story of Theia may be more complicated than the textbook version. We explore how scientists measure the Moon’s distance, mass, and angular momentum, why Earth’s Moon is so unusually large compared with other moons in the solar system, and how Apollo moon rocks transformed the debate over the origin of the Moon. Along the way, we unpack Robin Canup’s simulations, synestia and multiple-impact, evection resonance, and the “isotope crisis”: why Moon rocks are chemically almost identical to Earth despite models suggesting the Moon should be made mostly from an impactor. From lunar eclipses and amateur astronomy to Apollo samples, South Pole missions, Theia, Artemis, Chang’e, and the search for mantle rocks, this is a deep look at moon formation, planetary science, and how scientists reconstruct what happened more than 4 billion years ago.
The video may not be that old, but its subject matter sure is! It's also about a story I tell my students, so I consider this to be blogging as professional development.

I covered the most read entries containing content from Howtown last year in SciShow explains 'Why Geologists Lick Petrified Poop,' a Saturday science special. Follow over the jump for a share of a post featuring a Howtown video that made a splash on social media.


Howtown explains 'How half the US lost part of their minds' earned 3 replies in 2 threads (most during July 2025 and tied for second most during year) and 12 views on Twitter/X.

That's a wrap today's brief retrospective. Stay tuned for another tomorrow on Flashback Friday.

Previous posts in this series Previous retrospective about Howtown Previous retrospectives about Twitter/X
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