Solar Nebula Theory
Area containing gas and dust and surrounding a newly-formed protostar
protoplanetary disk
A protoplanet can become a gas giant if it grows beyond roughly 10 Earth masses before the protoplanetary gas disperses. About how long is this gas typically available?
2–3 million years
Where in the protoplanetary disk does the disk instability model typically occur, relative to the central star?
far from the host star, on the outskirts
This event potentially triggers the collapse of a gas cloud, leading to star and planet formation
supernova explosion
After reaching about 100 km, which growth phase dominates?
Oligarchic growth
In the disk instability model, what are the large, self-gravitating bodies formed directly from disk material called?
clumps