FAQs on Astronomy: The Solar System & The Nebular Theory Video Lecture - UPSC
1. What is the Solar System? |
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Ans. The Solar System refers to the collection of celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun. It consists of the Sun, eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), their moons, asteroids, comets, and other small bodies. The Sun, being the central and largest object, exerts gravitational force on the other bodies, keeping them in their respective orbits.
2. What is the Nebular Theory? |
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Ans. The Nebular Theory is a widely accepted scientific explanation for the formation of the Solar System. According to this theory, the Solar System originated from a giant rotating cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula. As the nebula collapsed due to its own gravity, it started spinning faster and flattened into a disk shape. The central region became denser and eventually formed the Sun, while the surrounding material gradually clumped together to form planets, moons, and other objects.
3. How does the Nebular Theory explain the formation of planets? |
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Ans. The Nebular Theory suggests that the formation of planets occurred through a process called accretion. As the solar nebula contracted, tiny dust particles collided and stuck together, forming larger and larger objects called planetesimals. These planetesimals further collided and merged through gravitational attraction, eventually forming protoplanets. Over time, these protoplanets accumulated more matter and underwent further collisions, leading to the formation of planets.
4. What are asteroids and comets in the Solar System? |
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Ans. Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They are remnants from the early Solar System and can range in size from small boulders to objects several hundred kilometers in diameter. Comets, on the other hand, are icy bodies composed of dust, rock, and frozen gases. They have highly elliptical orbits, and when they approach the Sun, the heat causes the gases to vaporize, creating a glowing coma and a tail that points away from the Sun.
5. How do moons form in the Solar System? |
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Ans. Moons, or natural satellites, form through various processes depending on the circumstances. The most common mechanisms include accretion, where moons accrete from the same material that forms the planet, or capture, where a passing object gets captured by the planet's gravity and becomes its moon. Some moons may also form from the debris of a massive collision between the planet and another celestial body. The exact formation process of a moon depends on factors such as the size and composition of the planet and the surrounding environment.