Which explanation of the solar system best fits the observations of the planets and how they orbit the sun?

A. The gravity of a large, massive star passing the sun ripped off blobs of material from it that formed the planets.
B. The planets formed at the center of a collapsing spinning cloud of gas and dust.
C. The sun and planets formed from a collapsing spinning cloud of gas and dust.
D. A comet hit the sun and sent off fragments that became the planets.

From those choices, the best is the third one. it relates to why the sun and almost everything else in the solar system spins in the same direction, and also why the abundance of various elements in the planets is so different from what it is in the sun.

Answered by AL2006 | 2024-06-10

The explanation that best fits observations of the solar system is option C: 'The sun and planets formed from a collapsing spinning cloud of gas and dust.' This theory accounts for the synchronized rotation and orbit of the planets around the Sun. It outlines the process of the solar nebula's collapse leading to the formation of the solar system we observe today.
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Answered by AL2006 | 2024-10-02