Planetary Formation

Question 1

3Cs and 3 Ps of planetary formation: Laplace’s Standard model of the solar nebula

Answer 1

Coalescence - Coming together into a dark then solar nebula
Condensation - Into solid grains
Coagulation - of Atoms into larger particles
Planetesimals - 100,000 years later into 10km blocks
Planetary Embryos - 50,000 years later into 1000km blocks
Planets

Question 2

Describe planetary formation

Answer 2

Cold areas of space rich in dust and gas form interstellar clouds called nebulae
Shockwaves from supernovae as well as other phenomenon caused the dust to coalesce into a denser dark nebula. At around 10K the colder and denser they get the more likely the clouds are to condense under gravity, defined by Jean’s Mass. As the clouds collapse any rotation is accelerated due to the conservation of angular momentum pulling the nebula into a flattened protoplanetary disk with the star forming at its center.