PHYC 2451 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Giant Planet, Late Heavy Bombardment, Terrestrial Planet
19 Dec 2015
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Chapter 8 comparative planetology ii: the origin of our solar system. The terrestrial planets are small because they are made of less abundant elements. Any theory of the origin of the solar system must be able to account for these properties of the planets. Property 1: sizes and compositions of terrestrial planets versus jovian planets. [the terrestrial planets, which are composed primarily of rocky substances, are relatively small, while the jovian planets, which are composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, are relatively large] Property 2: directions and orientations of planetary orbits. [all of the planets orbit the sun in the same direction, and all of their orbits are in nearly the same plane. ] Property 3: sizes of terrestrial planet orbits versus jovian planet orbits. [the terrestrial planets orbit close to the sun, while the jovian planets orbit far from the sun orbits versus jovian planet orbits. ]
