ORIGIN OF THE

SOLAR SYSTEM
 ORIGIN OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
How the solar system come about?
The universe that started with the big bang
did not form the stars and galaxies
immediately. The formation of the stars and
galaxies only started 300 to 500 million years
after the big bang. And the solar system that
is known today only formed 8.5 to 9 billion
years after the big bang. But how the solar
system form?
The Great Chain of Origins: Early Hypotheses
Encounter hypothesis
The encounter hypothesis states that the sun
encountered a rouge star. Upon the
encounter, hot gas was removed from both
stars due to their gravitational interaction.
The hot gas then accumulated and formed the
planets while that from the sun formed the
inner planets.
The Great Chain of Origins: Early Hypotheses

Protoplanet hypothesis
Protoplanet, in
astronomical theory, a hypothetical
eddy in a whirling cloud of gas or
dust that becomes a planet by
condensation during formation of a
solar system.
The Great Chain of Origins: Early Hypotheses
The catastrophic hypothesis is
a hypothesis that states that our solar system
formed thanks to a sudden and improbable
event such as the collision of two stars.

The evolutionary hypothesis is

a hypothesis that states that gradual and
natural changes caused the formation of our
solar system.
The Great Chain of Origins: Early Hypotheses
Nebular theory
Scientific studies of nebulae have led to a
theory concerning the origin of our solar
system.
According to the nebular theory, the sun and
planets formed from a rotating disk of dusk and
gases.
Matter became more concentrated in this
center, where the sun eventually formed.
The Great Chain of Origins: Early Hypotheses
The Solar Nebula Hypothesis:
Basis of modern theory of planet
formation .Planets form at the same time
from the same cloud as the star.
Immanuel Kant, German philosopher and
scientist. Planet formation sites observed
today as dust disks of T Tauri stars. Sun
and our solar system formed ~ 5 billion
years ago.
 Solar Nebula Theory Continued
About 4.5 billion years ago it is believed that
the Solar System consisted of a large cloud of
gas and dust, called a nebula. This cloud
started rotating, and the dust particles
combined to form planetesimals. As the cloud
rotated faster, it flattened, and the
planetesimals formed- Eventually forming
planets.
Initial composition:
-98% hydrogen and helium
-2% (carbon, nitrogen,
oxygen, silicon, iron)
FORMATION OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM
Planet Formation - Accretion
In astrophysics, accretion is the accumulation
of particles into a massive object by
gravitationally attracting more matter,
typically gaseous matter, in an accretion disk.
Most astronomical objects, such as galaxies,
stars, and planets,
are formed by accretion processes.
Planetesimals forming planets
A widely accepted theory of planet formation,
the so-called planetesimal hypotheses, the
Chamberlin–Moulton planetesimal hypothesis
and that of Viktor Safronov, states that planets
form out of cosmic dust grains that collide and
stick to form larger and larger bodies. This is
how planetesimals are often defined.
The Solar system includes

The sun, planets, moons,

asteroids, comets, gases, solar
wind and other heavenly
bodies.
Two Kinds of Planets
Planets of our solar system can be
divided into two very different kinds:
•Terrestrial (earthlike) planets: Mercury,
Venus, Earth, Mars
•Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets: Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Terrestrial Planets
Relatively small in size and mass (Earth is
the largest and most massive)Rocky
surface. Surface of Venus can not be seen
directly from Earth because of its dense
cloud cover.
The Jovian Planets
Much larger in mass and size
than
terrestrial planets.
Much lower average density.
All have rings (not only Saturn)
Mostly gas; no solid surface
Comets
Icy nucleus, which
evaporates and gets
blown into space by solar
wind pressure. Mostly
objects in highly elliptical
orbits, occasionally
coming close to the sun.
Meteoroids
Small (mm – mm sized)
dust grains throughout the
solar system. If they collide
with Earth, they evaporate
in the atmosphere. Visible
as streaks of light:
meteors.
The Age of the Solar System
Sun and planets should have about the same age.
Ages of rocks can be measured through
radioactive dating: Measure abundance of a
radioactively decaying element to find the time
since formation of the rock. Dating of rocks on
Earth, on the moon, and meteorites all give ages
of ~ 4.6 billion years.