Solar System Formation

How old is the solar system?

4.56 billion years old

What is produced when a star reaches the end of its lifetime and its core expands outwards?

A planetary nebula

Planetary nebula are composed of a mix of the elements up to _______.

Iron.

Why are stars called element factories?

Because they create new elements through nuclear fusion and spread them into space when they die.

What creates the elements heavier than iron on the periodic table?

Supernovas.

What happens when the fusion inside of a star is cut off?

The star can no longer produce the energy that balances the inward pull of gravity, so the core contracts and the outer layers collapse or get expelled, leading to the star’s death—low-mass stars become white dwarfs, while massive stars explode as supernovae and leave behind neutron stars or black holes.

Small, light stars become what when they die?

White dwarfs.

Massive, heavy stars leave behind what when they die?

They become supernovas, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

What is a tiny, incredibly dense body that rotates rapidly, has intense magnetic field, and beams electromagnetic radiation called?

A neutron star.

Why is no light produced by black holes?

Because the escaped velocity is faster than speed of light, so no light is produced

What is the outcome of a supermassive supernova?

A black hole.

A black hole rotates and pulls things in, but also throws out intense ________ as it rotates

Radiation/x-rays

Original gas clouds in an early solar system are spherical, but then they contract under gravity, what happens?

The speed of rotation increases and the sphere flattens into a disc with a central bulge.

When solar fusion occurs in a new solar system, what happens to refractory and volatile materials?

Refractory materials are left behind, but volatile materials nearby are vaporized

What is planetary dust composed of?

Diamonds, SiC, and graphite, etc

How did we learn what materials were present during the formation of our solar system?

Deep impact launched a probe into a comet, taking spectra of what came off to figure out what was inside planetary dust, which is the oldest record of the materials of the solar system

What are Chondrites composed of?

• Olivine, pyroxene, and metallic iron rich

• Chondryles, CAl’s (Calcium,-Aluminum Inclusions)

• Matrix is porous, fine grained filling with minerals and metallic iron (carbon and clays)

• Volatile content, if you heat it you'll get water coming out of it