Theories of Moon formation, illustration. This sequence shows three alternative theories for the formation of the Moon: that it formed at the same time as the Earth (upper left and upper centre); that the Moon formed separately and was captured by the Earth (upper right and lower left); and that the Moon broke away from a rapidly-spinning Earth (lower centre and lower right). The images show the young Earth's rotation (yellow arrows, upper left) as it forms, the debris ring and condensing Moon (upper centre), the Moon's orbital approach and capture (red arrows, upper right and lower left) and the Earth's rapid spin and bulging equator (red arrows, lower centre and lower right). The currently accepted theory of the Moon's formation is that another body impacted a young Earth and parts of the resulting debris formed the Moon.