Question

The Earth's Moon is thought to have originated

1. by gradual accretion of meteorites and planetesimals passing near the Earth
2. by magma ejected into space by intense volcanism early in Earth's history
3. from a tongue of material torn from the sun by a passing comet
4. through the collision of a large meteorite with the Earth
5. as an asteroid captured by the Earth's gravitational attraction

Answer 1

The leading theory for the Moon's origin is the giant impact hypothesis, where a Mars-sized body collided with Earth, creating debris that formed the Moon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Earth's Moon is generally believed to have formed through a giant impact early in Earth's history. This hypothesis suggests that a Mars-sized projectile collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from this colossal impact eventually coalesced to form the Moon. While other theories such as the fission hypothesis, sister hypothesis, and capture hypothesis have been considered, they struggle to fully explain the Moon's composition and shared characteristics with Earth. Instead, the giant impact hypothesis stands as the most widely accepted theory, consistent with the evidence we have about the Moon's and Earth's early history and current properties.