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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.
Challenge 1: Patterns of Motion - Continued Most planets rotate in the same direction in which they orbit- counterclockwise when seen from above the Earths North Pole with fairly small axial tilts (i.e. < 25o) Almost all moons orbit their planet in the same direction as the planets rotation and near the planets equatorial plane.
The Sun rotates in the same direction in which the planets orbit.
Terrestrial Planets: Earth-like planets. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Jovian Planets: Jupiter-like planets.
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 3
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?
Some objects dont fit into the general pattern: Mercury and Pluto have larger eccentricities. Pluto and Uranus are substantially tilted. Venus rotates backwards.
Nebular Model
This results in a spinning, flattened disk, with mass concentrated near the center
Twin Dust disks around a binary star system., taken by the VLA at radio wavelengths
The Ingredients of the Solar Nebula Fell Into Four Categories Based on Their Condensation Temperatures:
Metals
Rocks
Hydrogen compounds Light gases
Hot
Cool
Metals: Include mostly iron, nickel, aluminum Rocks: materials common on the surface of the Earth. Primarily silicon based minerals. Hydrogen Compounds: Molecules such as methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and water (H2O) that solidify into ices below 150K. Light gases: (hydrogen and helium) never condense under solar nebula conditions.
Early in the accretion process, there are many Moon sized planetesimals on crisscrossing orbits
As time passes, a few planetesimals grow larger by accretion while others collide and are destroyed
Only the largest planetesimals avoid being destroyed. These bodies will become the planets of this newly formed solar system
Nebular Capture: Making the Jovian Planets Large icy planetesimals of the outer solar system act as seeds for capturing large amounts of hydrogen and helium gas. This is called nebular capture. This explains the large sizes and low densities of the Jovian planets. Nebular capture also explains the formation of the diverse satellite systems of the jovian planets.
Leftover Planetesimals
Origin of Asteroids and Comets: The strong wind from the young Sun cleared excess gas from the solar nebula, but many planetesimals remained scattered between the newly formed planets. These leftovers became the comets and asteroids.
The Earth, Moon and other planets were heavily bombarded with leftover planetesimals.
Captured Moons
Some moons have unusual orbits orbits in the wrong direction or with large inclinations to the planets equator.
These unusual moons are probably leftover planetesimals that were captured into orbit around a planet.
Earth Impact with Mars sized Planetesimal Artists Conception of the impact of a Mars sized object with Earth which caused the formation of the Moon.
However, planetary scientists are still struggling with more quantitative aspects, seeking reasons for the exact sizes, locations, and compositions of the planets.
Doppler shifts allow for the detection of slight motions of a star due to perturbations caused by the orbiting planet.
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