Earth and Life Science

“The Origin of the Solar System”

A model is a representation of an idea, an object, or even a process that is used to describe and
explain phenomena that cannot be experienced directly. Scientist use models to predict what
happens in a particular event, such as the origin of the Solar System. Therefore, a model is a
scientist’s description of an event at the time, demonstrating how science knowledge is tentative.
There are two popular models about the Solar System Claudius Ptolemy’s geocentric model, which
states that Earth is at center of the Solar System, and Nicholas Copernicus’ heliocentric model, which
states that the sun is the center of the Solar System.
During the time of Claudius Ptolemy, the geocentric model was the accepted explanation of the
different motions in the universe. The sun, moon, stars, and five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn) moved around Earth. Their idea of a Solar System at that time was their idea of
the universe where planets move with respect to fixed stars, with changing brightness, changing
speed, and having retrograde motion (strange motion caused by Earth’s motion).
During the sixteenth century, Nicholas Copernicus proposed on opposing idea to the geocentric
model by developing another model that explained the structure of the Solar System. This proposal
became the foundation of the Copernican revolution.

In the eighteenth Century, the understanding of how the Solar System originated became more than
just descriptive models: it became scientific. The following scientific theories present the explanation
on the origin of the Solar System. It is important to note that these theories build up on the idea of
angular momentum. Angular momentum Is the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of
its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.
1. Nebular Hypothesis- Immanuel Kant (1724- 1804) and Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749- 1827))
were the first to propose the earliest theory of how the Solar System originated. The Kant-
Laplace nebular hypothesis presumes that the Solar System began as a cloud of dispersed
interstellar gas called nebula. The mutual gravitational attraction between particles caused
them to start moving and colliding, and they were kept together by electrostatic forces. The
resulting nebular aggregates became larger than others, grew more rapidly, and ultimately
became the planets.
Some 40 years later, Pierre-Simon Laplace worked on the existing Kant model,
explaining that with the sun already formed, the continuous rotation of the Solar Systems
around an axis would create the planets.
Laplace assumed that the sun cools off as it radiates away its heat, which would also
cause its contraction. As the contraction continues, the sun’s rotational velocity would
increase, following the law of conversation of angular momentum. The centrifugal force would
push materials outward the sun’s atmosphere, while gravitational attraction would push
materials toward the central mass. The action of the two forces would create a ring of material
within the plane of the sun’s equator. This process forms several concentric rings that would
eventually form the planets.

2. The planetesimal and tidal theories- Thomas Chowder Chamberlin and Forest Ray Moulton
worked on the Kant-Laplace nebular hypothesis, which became the Chamberlin-Moulton
planetesimal hypothesis.
They proposed that a star passed close enough to the sun, creating huge tides and causing
materials to be ejected. These smaller masses quickly cooled and became numerous smaller bodies
called planetesimals. Accretion of planetesimals created the larger bodies or protoplanets.
Another theory proposed by James Hopwood Jeans and Harold Jeffreys was a variation of the
planetesimal concept. The Jeans-Jeffrey’s tidal theory suggested that when a huge tidal wave was
created from sun’s collision with another star, a long filament was drawn out and detached from the
principal mass. As the gaseous materials condensed, it separated into masses of various sizes and
condensed to form the planets.
 3. Protoplanet theory- The protoplanets theory is a modified version of the nebular hypothesis,
which incorporates modern knowledge of matter formed independently by astronomers Gerald
Kuiper and Cal von Weizsacker. The dense area of the nebula and the gaseous matter
surrounding it ceased to rotate uniformly. Under the influence of turbulence and tidal action,
the nebula broke into whirlpools of gas within a rotating mass called protoplanets. This theory
however, does not explain the formation of the terrestrial planets and gas giants.
The chemical and physical differences of the planetary formation was provided by Harold Urey.
He provided evidence that the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) were formed
at low temperatures of ~2200°F- high enough to drive off the lighter substances (hydrogen and
helium), but low enough to allow the condensation of heavier substances (iron and silica).
Because of their proximity to the sun, the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) were
prevented from forming earthly materials and were only made up of methane, water, and
ammonia.

Refrence:
Olivar, J.T and Ramos, A.C.M. (2016). Exploring Life Through Science Series. Phoenix Publishing
House. Quezon City.