ASTR 207 Study Guide - Final Guide: Inclined Orbit, Thermosphere, Galilean Moons
Document Summary
Focus: chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 (and section 14. 1 on the sun) Final exam date: december 19, 2016 monday 12-2 pm. Chapter 8 formation of the solar system. Four major features needed to be explained: properties of our solar system that formation theory explains: Patterns of motion of the large bodies. Several reasonable hypotheses were explored: nebular hypothesis (theory) The nebular theory states that our solar system formed from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar gas cloud the solar nebula. (nebula is the latin word for cloud. ) Kant and laplace proposed the nebular hypothesis over two centuries ago. A large amount of evidence now supports this idea: close encounter hypothesis. A rival idea proposed that the planets formed from debris torn off the sun by a close encounter with another star. That hypothesis could not explain observed motions and types of planets. Where did the solar system come from: galactic recycling.