Formation Constraints
This constraint explains why planets orbit in the same direction and plane.
What is the motion constraint?
The solar nebula was mostly made of these two elements.
What are hydrogen and helium?
A streak of light in the sky caused by space debris.
What is a meteor?
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through this.
What is a debris trail?
Newton described gravity as this.
What is a force between masses?
This constraint states all solar system objects formed at roughly the same time.
What is the age constraint?
Gravity caused the nebula to do this during formation.
What is collapse inward?
A meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface is called this.
What is a meteorite?
Most meteor showers originate from this type of object.
What are asteroids?
Einstein described gravity as this.
What is the curvature (warping) of spacetime?
This constraint deals with the distribution of elements like rock, metal, and gas.
What is the chemical constraint?
The process where small particles stick together to form larger bodies.
What is accretion?
Meteors glow because of this process as they enter Earth’s atmosphere.
What is air compression heating (or friction heating)?
Why meteor showers happen at the same time each year.
What is Earth’s consistent orbit intersecting debris?
Which theory better explains black holes?
What is Einsteinian gravity?
This observation supports the motion constraint: planets orbit the Sun in this shared way.
What is the same direction (counterclockwise)?
These formed first and later combined to make planets.
What are planetesimals?
Most meteorites are found in these locations on Earth.
What are deserts and Antarctica?
The name for space debris before it enters Earth’s atmosphere.
What is a meteoroid?
Newton’s laws work best under these conditions.
What are low speeds and weak gravity?
The flat, disk-like structure of the solar system is evidence of this constraint.
What is the motion constraint?
Inner planets are rocky because this prevented them from collecting gases.
What is high temperature?
These meteorites likely come from the cores of differentiated bodies.
What are iron meteorites?
This causes a comet to leave a trail of debris.
What is solar radiation (or heating from the Sun)?
Einstein’s theory explains phenomena like this bending near massive objects.
What is light (gravitational lensing)?