Nebular Theory and Planet Formation

Who was NOT one of the proponents of the Nebular theory?

What is the main difference between the planetesimal theory and the tidal theory?

Which statement accurately describes the Encounter Theory?

Who proposed the planetesimal theory along with Chamberlin?

What process is described by the tidal theory concerning the formation of planets?

What is the first major step in the formation of the solar system according to the nebular theory?

Which of the following best describes planetesimals?

What typically causes a cloud collapse in the nebular theory?

Which type of planets are classified as terrestrial?

What is one of the main characteristics of Jovian planets?

Who is NOT considered a proponent of the nebular theory?

What occurs to the radius of a cloud during its collapse according to the nebular theory?

Nebular Theory

The solar system formed from a nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust in space.
The nebula consisted of hydrogen, helium, and other ionized gases.
The process began with a shockwave from a supernova or a passing star causing the cloud to collapse.
Gravity pulled the cloud's center inward, increasing its spin speed as it contracted.
As the cloud spun faster, it flattened into a disk called a protoplanetary disk.
The center of the disk eventually became the Sun, and the remaining material formed the planets.
Terrestrial planets, like Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, are closer to the Sun and have higher metallic and silicate compounds.
Jovian planets, like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are farther from the Sun, allowing gas to condense due to lower temperatures.

Proponents of the Nebular Theory

Emanuel Swedenborg
Immanuel Kant
Pierre-Simon Laplace

Encounter Theory

Planets formed from material ejected from the Sun during a close encounter with another celestial object, such as a star.

Planetesimal Theory

A form of the Encounter Theory.
A passing star (intruding star) nearly collided with the Sun, causing it to eject filaments of material.
These filaments condensed into planetesimals, small bodies that eventually collided and fused to form planets.

Proponents of the Planetesimal Theory

Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin
Forest Ray Moulton

Tidal Theory

A near collision between the Sun and a passing star caused hot gas to be ejected from the Sun.
This gas condensed into planets instead of planetesimals.

Proponents of the Tidal Theory

James Jeans
Harold Jeffreys

This quiz explores the Nebular Theory, which explains how the solar system formed from a giant cloud of gas and dust. Learn about the process of planetary formation, including the differences between terrestrial and Jovian planets, and key proponents who contributed to this theory.