What is the solar

system?
Our solar system
consists of an
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average star we call
the Sun and the
planets. It includes:
the satellites of the
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planets; numerous
comets, asteroids,
and meteoroids; and
the interplanetary
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medium.
What are the
theories on the origin
of the solar system?
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1. Theory of Vortices
- postulated that the
space was entirely
filled with matter in
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various states,
whirling about the
sun like a vortex.

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Rene Descartes - He
invented this theory
in the mid 1600’s, He
explained that once
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the particles in the
universe began to
move, the overall
motion would have
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been circular because
there is no void in
nature. Whenever a
single particle moves,
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another particle must
also move to occupy
the space where the
previous
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particle once was.
This type of circular
motion ( vortex )
would have created
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the orbits of the
planets about the
sun with heavier
objects spinning
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towards the outside
of the vortex and
lighter objects
remaining closer
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to the center.
2. Nebular
Hypothesis –in this
theory, thin, dim
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clouds of dust and
gas out in the cosmos
would collapse in on
themselves under
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the force of gravity.
The nebular
hypothesis is the
most widely
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accepted model in
the field of
cosmogony to
explain the formation
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and evolution of the
Solar System.
Immanuel Kant – He
postulated the
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nebular hyphotesis
using Newton’s idea
of gravity. From this
spinning disk,stars
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and planets would
form, and from this
type of formation,
the rotation of earth
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and the other planets
would be explained.
3. Laplace’s Nebular
Theory - It is a theory
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that states a slowly
rotating nebula ( a
cloud of vast gas and
dust ) collapsed
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under gravity
forming an oblate
spheroid due to the
increase in it’s spin
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rate. Pierre Simon
Laplace – a French
mathematician, He
proposed this idea
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in the year of 1700.
4. Leclerc-Buffon Idea
- Georger-Louis
Leclerc and Comte de
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Buffon conceived the
idea that a comet
collided with the Sun

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sending matter off to
form the planets.
5. Chemical
Composition Analysis
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– It was Harold Urey
who initially studied
the meteorites and
their chemical
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analysis. He
concluded that
meteorites contain
matter that had
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changed very little in
the early history of
the solar system. This
set a new trend in
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understanding the
solar system whose
origin can be based

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on its chemical
composition.
6. Solar Nebular Disk
Model (SNDM) –
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Developed by Soviet
astronomer Victor
Safronov. According
to this model, our
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star system was
formed 4.568 billion
years ago when a
small part of a giant
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molecular cloud
experienced a
gravitational
collapse. Most of the
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collapsing mass
collected in the
center forming the
Sun while the rest
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flattened into a
protoplanetary disk,
out of which the
planets, moons,
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asteroids, and other
small solar system
bodies formed.

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