What elements and structures were needed to make our solar system?
1 Answer
1) Elements: Molecular Dust, Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Condensed Volatiles, Heavy Elements (Iron, Nickel, Aluminum, Rocky Silicates)
2) Structures - Forces, Energy and Other: Gravity, Fusion Reaction, Pressure, Temperature, Angular Momentum
Explanation:
Our solar system formed from a giant, rotating cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula. Gravity cause the nebula to pulling most of material toward the center forming the sun. In this process other particles within the disk collided and stuck together to form asteroid-sized objects, some of which combined to become the asteroids, comets, moons and planets. The solar wind from the sun was so powerful that it swept away most of the lighter elements, such as hydrogen and helium , from the innermost planets, leaving behind mostly small, rocky worlds. The solar wind was much weaker in the outer regions, however, resulting in gas giants made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
From this we can surmise the elements the element and structure needed are:
1) Molecular Dust - interstellar dust and hydrogen
2) Solar Nebula - Composed of hydrogen, helium and trace amounts of lithium produced by Big Bang nucleosynthesis. This amounts 98% of its mass.
3) The remaining 2% of the mass consisted of heavier elements that were created by nucleosynthesis in earlier generations of stars.
4) Gravity that serves as separator of light elements from heavy elements. Late in the life of nebular stars, heavier elements are ejected into the interstellar medium resulting in the formation of planets
5) High melting point metals like iron, nickel, and aluminum and rocky silicates
6) Gaseous elements or condensed volatiles -
