After
Completing These Learning Activities You Should Be Able To:
After
Completing These Learning Activities You Should Be Able To:
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Text: Figure 1: 49KB
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These Notes:
How does one go about developing a theory of the origin of the Earth and
the solar system to which it belongs? First, we can observe stars and planetary
systems forming today. Figure 1 is one of the most dramatic pictures provided
by the Hubble Space Telescope. The pillar-like structures located in the
Eagle Nebula (M16) are a dramatic example of active star formation going
on today. Long known to be a region of active star formation, the Orion nebula (figure 2), under the penetrating eye of the Hubble Space Telescope (Mpg video - 650 KB) (Text), has provided a wealth of information about star formation and, potentially, the evolution of planetary systems. Of particular interest, is the discovery of protoplanetary disks ("proplyds"). These protoplanetary disks are dark disks of dust and gas which have been found around new, hot stars in the Orion nebula (figures 3 and 4). It has long been theorized that planetary systems form out of such disks of dust and gas which has been left behind as a remnant of the star formation process. Thus the Orion nebula and the "proplyds" provide a means of testing and refining our current theories of solar system formation. A second approach taken by astronomers is to develop theories of solar system formation that is consistent with the properties of our solar system as we observe them today. So let us examine those properties.....
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Questions: These questions and their
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and to provide additional instruction.
Refer to the figures on this page and the text links associated with the figures to the left to answer the questions below.
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