The Origin of the

Solar System
Theories on the
Origin of the
Solar System
Angular momentum
The quantity of rotation of a body, which is the
product of its moment of inertia and its
angular velocity.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

1. Nebular Hypothesis (Kant-Laplace Nebular Hypothesis)

Proponents: Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Pierre-Simon
Laplace (1749-1827)
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.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

1. Nebular Hypothesis
The resulting nebular
aggregates became larger
than others, grew more
rapidly, and ultimately
became the planets.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

1. Nebular Hypothesis (Kant-Laplace Nebular Hypothesis)

40 years later, 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 conservation of angular
momentum.
The centrifugal force would pull materials outward the
central mass, while gravitational attraction would pull
materials toward the central mass.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

1. Nebular Hypothesis (Kant-Laplace Nebular Hypothesis)

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.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

2. The Planetesimal and Tidal Theories

A. Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis

Proponents: Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin and Forest Ray
Moulton

They proposed that a star passed close enough to the sun,

creating huge tides and causing materials to be ejected.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

2. The Planetesimal and Tidal Theories

These smaller masses quickly cooled and became numerous

smaller bodies called planetesimals.

The accretion of planetesimals created the larger bodies or

protoplanets.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

2. The Planetesimal and Tidal Theories

B. Jeans-Jeffrey’s Tidal Theory

Proponents: James Hopwood Jeans and Harold Jeffreys

When a huge tidal wave was created from sun’s collision with
another star, a long filament was drawn out and detached
from its principal mass.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

As the gaseous
materials
condensed, it
separated into
masses of various
sizes and
condensed to form
the planets.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

3. Protoplanetary theory

Proponents: Gerard Kuiper and Carl 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
protoplanet.
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

3. Protoplanetary theory

Harold Urey provided the evidence that the terrestrial planets

(Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) were formed at low
temperature of 2200 degrees fahrenheit.

It is high enough to drive off the lighter substances (hydrogen

and helium), but low enough to allow the condensation of
heavier substances (iron and silica)
Theories on the Origin of the Solar System

3. Protoplanetary theory

Because of their proximity to

the sun, the gas giants
(Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune) were prevented
from forming early earthly
materials and were only
made up of methane, water
and ammonia.