The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Textbook Question
Chapter 8, Problem 47EAP
Lucky to Be Here? Considering the overall process of solar system formation, do you think formation of a planet like Earth was likely? Could random events in the early history of the solar system have prevented our being here today? What implications do your answers have for the possibility of finding planets with Earth-like conditions around other stars? Defend your opinions.
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
How probable is it that other solar systems will have habitable planets, given what you know about the solar nebula theory? Take a look at NASA's Kepler mission and write a half-page summary of it.
Given what you've learned about the solar nebula idea, what do you believe the likelihood is of discovering livable planets in other solar systems? Learn more about this search by visiting NASA's Kepler mission and writing a half-page overview of the project.
Compare and contrast the terrestrial planets to the gas giant planets. Be sure to include differences in size, density, and any special information about any of the planets.
Chapter 8 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 8 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 8 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 8 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 8 -
Briefly describe the four major features of our...Ch. 8 - What is the nebular theory, and why is it widely...Ch. 8 - What do we mean by the solar nebula? What was it...Ch. 8 -
4. Describe the three key processes that led the...Ch. 8 - List the approximate condensation temperature and...Ch. 8 - What was the frost line? Which ingredients...Ch. 8 - Briefly describe the process by which terrestrial...
Ch. 8 - How was the formation of jovian planets similar to...Ch. 8 - What is the solar wind, and what roles did it play...Ch. 8 - How did planet formation lead to the existence of...Ch. 8 - What was the heavy bombardment, and when did it...Ch. 8 - What is the leading hypothesis for the Moon’s...Ch. 8 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 8 - How old is the solar system, and how do we know?Ch. 8 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we found a solar...Ch. 8 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 8 - Surprising Discoveries? Suppose we found a solar...Ch. 8 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 24EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Choose the best answer to each of the following....Ch. 8 - Explaining the Past. Is it really possible for...Ch. 8 - Prob. 37EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 8 - An Early Solar Wind. Suppose the solar wind had...Ch. 8 - Angular Momentum. Suppose our solar nebula had...Ch. 8 - Two Kinds of Planets. The jovian planets differ...Ch. 8 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 8 - Prob. 46EAPCh. 8 - Lucky to Be Here? Considering the overall process...Ch. 8 - Radiometric Dating. You are dating rocks by their...Ch. 8 - Lunar Rocks. You are dating Moon rocks based on...Ch. 8 - Carbon-14 Dating. The half-life of carbon-14 is...Ch. 8 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 8 - Icy Earth. How massive would Earth have to have...Ch. 8 - What Are the Odds? The fact that all the planets...Ch. 8 - Spinning Up the Solar Nebula. The orbital speed of...
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Kepler-444 is one of many stars with terrestrial planets that is over 10 billion a) What do you think the spectral type of Kepler-444 might be? b) How do stars of this spectral type end their lives? c) If evolution followed a similar course on a habitable pranet around a star similar to Kepler-444, it would be 5 billion years more advanced than we are. Let’s try to project our future and see what happens. In particular, suppose our civilization gets motivated enough to colonize another planet. Kepler indicates that most stars have potentially habitable (and colonizable) planets, so roughly how far away is the typical “nearest" planet? d) The New Horizons probe on its way to Pluto took 9 years to travel 30 AU. If we could send colony ships with the same average speed, roughly how long would it take to reach the typical nearest planet? уears old.arrow_forwardWe think the terrestrial planets formed around solid “seeds” that later grew over time through the accretion of rocks and metals. a) Suppose the Earth grew to its present size in 1 million years through the accretion of particles averaging 100 grams each. On average, how many particles did the Earth capture per second, given that the mass of the Earth is = 5.972 × 10 ^24 kg ? b) If you stood on Earth during its formation and watched a region covering 100 m^2, how many impacts would you expect to see in one hour. Use the impact rate you calculated in part a. You’ll need the following as well: the radius of the Earth is = 6.371 × 10 ^6 m and the surface area of the Earth is 4??^2Eartharrow_forwardConsidering what you learned from the solar nebula theory, how likely do you think it is to find habitable planets in other solar systems? Visit NASA’s Kepler mission to learn more about this search, and write a ½ page summary on the mission.arrow_forward
- Given what you know about the solar nebula theory, how likely is it that additional solar systems will yield inhabited planets? Visit NASA's Kepler mission and write a half-page description of the project.arrow_forwardHow would the solar system be different if the solar nebula had cooled, with a temperature half its actual value? [select all that apply] options: There would be more comets. Life would have been very unlikely to evolve here. There would be no comets. There would be fewer asteroids. There would be more asteroids. Jovian planets would have formed closer to Sun. Terrestrial planets would be largearrow_forwardHow do we know when the solar system formed? Usually we say that the solar system is 4.5 billion years old. To what does this age correspond?arrow_forward
- Describe the solar nebula, and outline the sequence of events within the nebula that gave rise to the planetesimals.arrow_forwardHow can a planet’s atmosphere affect the width of the habitable zone in its planetary system?arrow_forwardExplain how the terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets ended up so different.arrow_forward
- What is the frost line in the solar nebula? Explain how temperature differences led to the formation of two distinct types of planets.arrow_forwardWhat is an exoplanet? Group of answer choices A planet in our solar system beyond Pluto. Any planet with extra-terrestrial life. A planet in an extra-solar star system outside of our solar system. Objects in the solar system such as Pluto that were once considered planets but no longer are.arrow_forwardIf there was a planet orbiting a first generation star, which planet in our solar system would it resemble most? Would it be likely for such a planet to have life?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Kepler's Three Laws Explained; Author: PhysicsHigh;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyR6EO_RMKE;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY