Lesson 1.

Nebular Theory and

Encounter Theory
Lego bricks and Minecraft blocks allow us to build different structures by
simply combining together or removing pieces.
 Like Lego bricks and
Minecraft blocks, some
theories that explain
the origin of the
universe use the same
concept of combining
and breaking off
celestial materials.
 How did the
combination of
cosmic materials
and breaking
apart of a star
form the solar
system?
 Learn about It!

The Nebular Theory

• According to the nebular theory, the solar system originated

from a nebula.

• It is the widely accepted view about the formation of the

solar system some 4.5 billion years ago.
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The Nebular Theory

• A nebula is defined by NASA

as giant cloud of gas and dust
in space.

• This interstellar cloud of dust

contains hydrogen, helium
and other ionized gases.
Dusty discs surrounding nearby
young stars
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Major Steps in the Formation of the Solar System

• The formation of the solar
system from a nebula
occurs in three major
steps:
(1) cloud collapse,
(2) formation of
protoplanetary disk,
and
The Solar System
(3) growth of planets.
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Step 1: Cloud Collapse

• Hypothetically, a shockwave from a supernova or the effect
of a passing star may cause a cloud collapse.

• The collapse at the center of the cloud due to gravity occurs

when gas pressure becomes insufficient to support the
mass of the cloud.

• The collapsed cloud of interstellar gas and dust results to a

smaller radius that spins faster.
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Collapsing of the cloud makes it spin faster.

Cloud Collapse
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Step 2: Formation of Protoplanetary Disk

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Step 2: Formation of Protoplanetary Disk

• Metals and silicates
could exist near the sun
because these
compounds have higher
boiling points.

• As a result, terrestrial
planets were eventually Terrestrial planets. From left to right: Mercury,
formed containing high Venus, Earth, and Mars; the last one on the right is
Ceres, the terrestrial dwarf planet
concentration of these
compounds.
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Step 2: Formation of Protoplanetary Disk

• The terrestrial
planets could not
grow in huge
diameter because of
the limited reserve of
metallic elements in
the solar nebula. Terrestrial planets. From left to right: Mercury,
Venus, Earth, and Mars; the last one on the right is
Ceres, the terrestrial dwarf planet
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Step 3: Growth of Planets

• Dust and grains surrounding the sun eventually formed

clumps. These clumps then accreted forming
planetesimals.

• Planetesimal is a small celestial body that once collide

together.
• It tend to fuse to form the planets of the solar system.
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Step 3: Growth of Planets

Growth of planets in the nebular theory.

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Proponents of the Nebular Theory

Emmanuel Immanuel Pierre-Simon

Swedenborg Kant Laplace
(1688–1772) (1724–1804) (1749–1827)
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Drawbacks of the Nebular Theory

• Particles surrounding Saturn repel each other, which is

contrary to the assumption that dust particles will be
attached to each other forming a planet.

• It does not follow the law of angular momentum because if

the nebular theory is correct then the sun should be
spinning at a higher rate than the others.
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Drawbacks of the Nebular Theory

• It did not consider Uranus and Venus which rotates in a

clockwise direction while other planets rotates in a
counterclockwise direction.
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The Encounter Theory

• The encounter theory proposes
that the planets were formed
from the material ejected from
the sun during an encounter
with another celestial object,
such as another star.

• Two forms: planetesimal and

An artistic visualization
tidal theories of the encounter theory
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Planetesimal Theory

• It proposes that a passing star termed as intruding star

nearly collided with the protosun.

• The massive gravitational pull of the intruding star causes

the protosun to eject filaments of material which then
condensed into planetesimals.

• This theory describes how Earth started from a solid mass

smaller than its present size.
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Proponents of the Planetesimal Theory

● Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin

proposed that accretion of
minute solid particles created
planets and their moons rather
than by gaseous or liquid
material condensation.
Thomas Chrowder Forest Ray
Chamberlin Moulton
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Proponents of the Planetesimal Theory

● Forest Ray Moulton provided

the mathematical calculations to
Chamberlin’s idea.

Thomas Chrowder Forest Ray

Chamberlin Moulton
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Drawbacks of the Planetesimal Theory

• Planetesimal theory is no longer accepted today due
to the fact that hot material from the sun expands and
dissipates rather than contract.

• In addition, the force from the passing star will pull dust
and gases far away from the sun, that they would not be
able to form the planets in the solar system.
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The Tidal Theory

• It explains that the solar system
formed as a result of a near
collision between a passing star
and the sun.

• This theory proposes that the hot

gas from the passing star
condensed into planets instead of The lengthy tidal tails of the
condensing into planetesimals. colliding antennae galaxies
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Proponents of the Tidal Theory

● The tidal theory was
proposed by:

○ James Jeans, an English

physicist and astronomer,
and
○ Harold Jeffreys, an English
mathematician and
astronomer in 1918.
Sir James Jeans
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Drawbacks of the Tidal Theory

• One problem of the
tidal theory is that the
hot material from
either star cannot
contract.

• Thus, planets will not

form.
Stars collision
 Key Points

● Nebular theory
proposes that stars originate from interstellar gas and dust called nebula (cloud) and is
credited to Swedenborg, Kant, and Laplace.

● Three major steps in nebular theory include

○ Cloud Collapse: The origin of the planets and sun in the solar system is a huge
cloud of molecular gas and dust that collapsed.
○ Formation of the Protoplanetary Disk: Materials from the collapsed cloud fall
inward and flatten into a disk.
○ Growth of Planets: Dust and grains surrounding the disk collide and form
planetesimals that collect into a planet.
 Key Points

● Encounter theory
proposes that the planets formed from the material ejected from the sun during an
encounter with another celestial object.

● Planetesimal theory
is a form of encounter theory that describes Earth started from a solid mass smaller
than its present size proposed by Chamberlin and Moulton.

● Tidal theory
is a form of encounter theory which states the hot gas from the passing star
condensed into planets instead of condensing into planetesimals proposed by Jeans
and Jeffreys.