1.

What are the 3 formation models presented by the scientists to describe how
the planets in the solar system have formed?
Scientists have developed three different models to explain how planets in and out of
the solar system may have formed. The first and most widely accepted model, core
accretion, works well with the formation of the rocky terrestrial planets but has problems
with giant planets. The second, pebble accretion, could allow planets to quickly form
from the tiniest materials. The third, the disk instability method, may account for the
creation of giant planets.
Three different models have been devised by scientists to describe how planets in and
out of the solar system may have formed. Core accretion, the first and most widely
accepted model, works well for the formation of rocky terrestrial planets but has issues
with the development of massive planets. Pebble accretion, the second mechanism,
might allow planets to develop fast from the tiniest of components. The third form, disk
instability, could explain the formation of large planets.
2. What are the striking differences between these models?
- Core accretion occurs from the collision and coagulation of solid particles into
gradually larger bodies until a massive enough planetary embryo is formed (10-
20 Earth masses) to accrete a gaseous envelope.
- Pebble accretion is the mechanism in which small particles (“pebbles”) accrete
onto big bodies (planetesimals or planetary embryos) in gas-rich environments.
In pebble accretion, accretion occurs by settling and depends only on the mass
of the gravitating body, not its radius.
- Disk instability, on the other hand, describes the process by which a massive
disk rapidly cools, causing it to fragment into planet-sized, self-gravitating
clumps.
3. Which among these 3 formation models is the most acceptable? Justify your
answer.
The most acceptable model of planet formation is core accretion. In this model, it
describes why the planets in the outer Solar System predominantly consist of lighter
elements and are able to acquire such large atmospheres. However, this mechanism
struggles to explain massive planets forming at large distances from a star.