THE STRUCTURE AND ORIGIN OF

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

 Comparative Planetology
• By studying the differences and
similarities between the planets, moons,
asteroids and comets, we can gain a
fuller understanding of the solar system
as a whole.
General Properties of Terrestrial Planets
General Properties of Jovian Planets
• Exploring Our Solar System- Planets and
Space for Kids - FreeSchool.mp4
The Origins of the Solar
System:
Four Challenges

1) Patterns of Motion
2) Categorizing Planets
3) Asteroids and Comets
4) Exceptions to the Rules
 Challenge 1: Patterns of Motion

• All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction ---

counterclockwise when seen from high above the
Earth’s North Pole.

• All planetary orbits lie nearly in the same plane.

• Almost all planets travel on nearly circular orbits,

and the spacing between planetary orbits
increases with distance from the Sun according to
a fairly regular trend.
Challenge 1: Patterns of Motion - Continued
• Most planets rotate in the same direction
in which they orbit- counterclockwise when
seen from above the Earth’s North Pole –
with fairly small axial tilts (i.e. < 25o)

• Almost all moons orbit their planet in the

same direction as the planet’s rotation and
near the planet’s equatorial plane.

• The Sun rotates in the same direction in

which the planets orbit.
 Challenge 2

• The second challenge for any theory

of solar system formation is to
explain why the inner and outer solar
system planets divide so neatly into
two classes.
• Terrestrial Planets
• Jovian Planets
Challenge 2: Categorizing Planets
• Terrestrial Planets: Earth-like
planets.

• These include Mercury, Venus, Earth

and Mars.

• Jovian Planets: Jupiter-like planets.

• These include Jupiter, Saturn,

Uranus, and Neptune.
 Challenge 3 Cosmic Debris
• In order for a theory to be complete, it must also address
the issue of Asteroids and Comets.

• Asteroids are small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun

primarily in the asteroid belt.

• Comets are small, icy bodies that spend most of their

lives well beyond the orbit of Pluto. (Oort Cloud)

• We generally recognize them only on the rare occasions

when one visits the inner solar system.
• We know today that comets are orbiting the Sun
primarily in two broad regions.

– The Kuiper (Koy-per) belt:

(Begins in the vicinity of the orbit of Neptune ~
30AU)

– The Oort Cloud: Huge spherical region centered

on the Sun and extending perhaps half way to
nearest stars.
• The Third Challenge for any theory of solar system
formation is to explain the existence and general
properties of the large numbers of asteroids and
comets.

– Why are there so many?

– How did their existence come about?

 Challenge 4:
Exceptions to the Rule

Some objects don’t fit into the general pattern:

• Mercury and Pluto have larger eccentricities.

• Pluto and Uranus are substantially tilted.

• Venus rotates backwards.

Four Major Characteristics of the Solar System

1. Large bodies in the solar system have orderly motions.

2. Planets fall into two main categories:
Small, rocky terrestrial planets.
Large, hydrogen rich gas giants (Jovian planets).
3. Swarms of asteroids and comets populate the solar
system
4. Several notable exceptions to these general trends
stand out:
Planets with unusual axial tilts or surrounding large
moons.
Moons with unusual orbits.
 Theories on the Origin of the
Solar System
• Vortex Theory
• Collision Theory
• Kant-Laplace Nebular Theory
• Jeans Jeffrey Tidal Theory
• Solar Nebular Theory
 Vortex Theory
• Rene Descartes
• The Solar System was formed into bodies with
nearly circular orbits due to whirlpool-like
motion in the pre-solar materials

Descartes Vortex Theory.mp4

 Collision Theory
• George Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
• Planets were formed by the collision of the sun
with a giant comet.
Kant-Laplace Nebular Theory
• Immanuel Kant, Pierre Simon Laplace
• Nebula begins to collapse due to gravitational
pull
• Contraction proceeded and the nebula spun
more rapidly
• The spinning cloud flattens with a bulge at the
center
• The local regions continue to collapse
The Kant-Laplace Nebular
Theory.mp4
 Jeans-Jeffrey’s Tidal Theory
• James Hopwood Jeans and Harold Jeffrey
• Tidal theory proposed that the planets were
formed from the substance that was torn out of
the sun.
• As a speeding massive star passed near the
sun, it pulled off material due to gravitational
attraction.
 The Solar Nebular Theory
• In the past few decades, a tremendous amount of
evidence has accumulated in support of one
model.

• This model is called the Nebular Theory.

• This Theory holds that our solar system formed

from a giant, swirling interstellar cloud of gas and
dust.

SOLAR NEBULA THEORY.mp4

 Nebular Model

Original Cloud This results in a

The cloud heats
is large and spinning,
up and spins
diffuse with flattened
faster
little disk, with mass
and faster as
rotation concentrated
it contracts
near the center
Theories on the Origin of
the Solar System.mp4