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Chapter 8: Problem 18

What are the competing models of how the Jovian planets formed?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The competing models explaining the formation of the Jovian planets include the 'core accretion model' that proposes a gradual formation from accumulating dust and gas, and the 'disk instability model' that suggests a fast formation due to collapsing, unstable regions in the solar nebula.

Step by step solution

01

Explain the Core Accretion Model

The core accretion model suggests that the Jovian planets formed from slowly condensing dust and gas in a solar nebula. Initially, solid cores formed from collisions and coalescence of planetesimals, icy bodies present in the solar nebula. These cores, once reaching a critical size, attracted and captured massive amounts of gas from the surrounding nebula to form the gas giant planets. This model is widely used to explain the formation of Jovian planets.
02

Explain the Disk Instability Model

The disk instability model, on the other hand, suggests that the Jovian planets formed quickly due to gravitationally unstable regions in the solar nebula. These unstable regions could have collapsed under their own gravity, leading to the formation of the gas giant planets in a short time frame. This model is also supported by a lot of astronomical observations.
03

Compare the Models

While both models describe the formation of the Jovian planets, they differ in many ways. For instance, the timescale of planet formation is different: the core accretion model requires several million years, while the disk instability model can occur in a few thousand years. Moreover, each model tends to explain certain characteristics of the Jovian planets better than the other.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

If hydrogen and helium account for \(98 \%\) of the mass of all the atoms in the universe, why aren't the Earth and Moon composed primarily of these two gases?

Why is it thought that a disk appeared in the solar nebula?

Is there evidence that planets have fallen into their parent stars? Explain.

The planet discovered orbiting the star 70 Virginis (" \(70 \mathrm{Vir}\) " in Figure 8-17), 59 light-years from Earth, moves in an orbit with semimajor axis \(0.48 \mathrm{AU}\) and eccentricity \(0.40\). The period of the orbit is \(116.7\) days. Find the mass of 70 Virginis. Compare your answer with the mass of the Sun. (Hint: The planet has far less mass than the star.)

Use the Stamy Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) program to investigate stars that have planets orbiting them. First display the entire celestial sphere (select Guides > Atlas in the Favourites menu). Then use the Find pane to find and center each of the stars listed below. To do this, click the magnifying glass icon on the left side of the edit box at the top of the Find pane and select Star from the dropdown menu; then type the name of the star in the edit box and press the Enter or Return key on the keyboard. Click on the Info tab on the left-hand side of the Starry Night Enthusiast 'M window for full information about the star. For each star, record the luminosity of the star (a measure of the star's total light output). How far from Earth is each star? Which stars are more luminous than the Sun? Which are less luminous? How do you think these differences would have affected temperatures in the nebula in which each star's planets formed (see Figure 8-10)? (i) 47 Ursae Majoris; (ii) 51 Pegasi; (iii) 70 Virginis; (iv) Rho Coronae Borealis.
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