Janie Spang, age 9, of Allentown, Pa., for her question:

WHERE DID THE MOON COME FROM?

At present we cannot give a positive answer to this question. But scientists have made several guesses about how the earth got its golden moon. For a long time they suspected that once upon a time the moon was a part of the earth. They thought that ages ago, when it was new and quite pliable, part of our world must have twisted loose and drifted away. This part became the orbiting moon, and the hole it left became the Pacific Ocean.

Later, experts changed their minds about this guess. Some thought the moon was formed from debris, when the earth and other planets were created to form the solar system. Others suspected the moon was formed somewhere else, and the earth captured it later. However, scientists have found some more evidence. Maybe they were right the first time  perhaps our moon really is a piece of the earth that broke away. But nobody is sure.