Nebular Theory

Nebular Theory
- The nebular hypothesis is the most widely accepted model in the field of cosmogony to explain the
formation and evolution of the Solar System . It suggests the Solar System is formed from gas and dust
orbiting the Sun. The theory was developed by Immanuel Kant Universal Natural History and Theory of the
Heavens (1755) and then modified in 1796 by Pierre Laplace.
- This states that the solar system developed out of an interstellar cloud of dust and gas, called a nebula. This
theory best accounts for the objects we currently find in the Solar System and the distribution of these
objects. The Nebular Theory would have started with a cloud of gas and dust, most likely left over from a
previous supernova.
- The nebular hypothesis is the idea that a spinning cloud of dust made of mostly light elements, called a
nebula, flattened into a protoplanetary disk, and became a solar system consisting of a star with orbiting
planets [12]. The spinning nebula collected the vast majority of material in its center, which is why the sun
Accounts for over 99% of the mass in our solar system.
> Everything (sun, planets, stars, asteroids) is made from Nebula cloud
> Stars performed with the 4 planets and asteroids came into existence. Planets are believe to be around 4.5
billion years olds and more stars is 1-10 billion years old
> Sun is the biggest star in solar systems
> Supernova – the explosion of the star or exploding star
- A nearby supernova caused the nebula to collapse toward the center
> Protosun – the young sun, at the early stage of its life
> Planetesimal – small, odd-shaped planet-like objects
- building blocks of our solar system
> The word “nebula” is Latin for “cloud,”
• The nebular hypothesis explains: the arrangements of the planets nearest to the sun, gas giants
farther away
•Why Nebular theory rejected? The main problem involved angular momentum distribution between the
Sun and planets. The planets have 99% of the angular momentum, and this fact could not be explained by
the nebular model. As a result, astronomers largely abandoned this theory of planet formation at the
beginning of the 20th century.
• Evidence: We can see stars forming in other interstellar gas clouds, lending support to the
nebular theory.
+ So what happen is there was initially nebula cloud, which is made of helium, hydrogen, and other sorts of
dust particles. So this clouds started rotating very heavily, and to do that, most of the hydrogen and helium
elements came to the center and started colliding with each other. And due to the friction and collision of
particles, fusion reaction took place, and pure energy started generating and this created the sun.
+ Now it’s time for planets to arrive, we know that hydrogen and helium are low density elements and they
move to the center forming the sun. So it’s very logical that if lighter element go to the center, the heavier
would go away from the center. And that’s what happened, the heavier elements move away from the center.
And if we see the earth and all other planets are made out of denser elements than stars.
+ And then this heavier elements started forming small clamp of clouds like smaller nebulas, with further
rotation, friction, and collision of particles, it lead to formation of disk shape cloud and planets were formed
through the process of accretion. Because now the heavier elements will come to the center, and live by live
planets started forming.
• The solar system is thought to have begun forming from a giant spinning cloud of gas and dust.
• The core of this cloud grew under the influence of gravity that became denser and hotter. As the
material fell towards the growing core, the cloud increased in speed and flattened into a giant
spinning disk. Eventually the increasing temperature generated enough energy to trigger nuclear
fusion. This fusion marked the birth of our sun.
•The lighter gas was swept far out into the solar system leaving heavier rockier material and
metallic with high melting points nearer the Sun. Molten metal and dust particles stuck together to
form rocks. Mutual gravity caused the rocks to come together, eventually to form planets. (This
process is known as accretion)
• In the hot inner regions of the solar system rocky planets with metal cores were formed (Mercury,
Venus, Earth, Mars). In the colder outer regions things were different, further from the Sun
temperatures dropped, water vapor condensed content of ice. This ice combined with the vast
amount of gas blown away from the Sun, meant there was a lot more material here than in the
inner regions. As huge cause of ice and metal grew the gases swept away at the sun’s birth were
attracted through gravity. When the accretion of most of the ice and gas was complete we were
left with the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
Nebular Hypothesis
- Explain the formation and evolution of Our Solar Systems
- All started with a nebula or a massive and dense cloud of dust and gas, such as hydrogen.
- Gravity causes this matter to begin to coalesce into clamps. According to Newton’s Universal Law of
Gravitation, any two objects with mass will insert a gravitational force between them. And as we add
more and more mass to this clamp it will insert a greater gravitational force on other objects. Thereby
making this clam larger and larger.
- The solar system started from a nebula of gas but through the force of gravity, it was able to create
clumps of matter throughout. And there began to be one central clamp in our solar system which is
later become the sun.
- Accretion disc (around the central clamp) this is where all of the other matters in this nebula began to
flattened out and began to orbit around this central clamp
- Protostar – “proto” means ‘first or earliest form of’
- As the sun and the center of our solar system begins fusion process, it becomes what we known as
main sequence star
- H-R Diagram (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram) – this model is used to display the evolution and
classification of star and it shows all of different types of stars on it.

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