Abstract
PLANETARY fission has been proposed recently as a factor in the distribution of mass and density among the “terrestrial” planets. In particular, it has been suggested because of their similar densities that the Moon and Mars were once part of the Earth (see McCrea1 and Lyttleton2, although Lyttleton gave equal support to a capture hypothesis for the Moon). It has also been suggested that Mercury and Venus may have formed by the break-up of a single planetary mass3. Because changes in mass distribution in the solar system are subject to certain constraints, the limitations this may have placed on the past history of planetary fission have been evaluated.
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