Contraction of the solar nebula

✍ Scribed by J. J. Rawal

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 487 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-0794
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00055528

✦ Synopsis

The concept of Roche limit is applied ?o the Laplacian theory of the origin of the solar system to study the contraction of a spherical gas cloud (solar nebula). In the process of contraction of the solar nebula, it is assumed that the phenomenon of supersonic turbulent convection described by Prentice ( 1978) is operative and brings about the halt at various stages of contraction. It is found that the radius of the contracting solar nebula follows Titius-Bode law RF = R,z, where Rn is the radius of the present Sun and a = 1.442. We call 'a' the Roche's constant. The consequences of the relation are also discussed. The aim, here, is an attempt to explain, on the basis of the concept of Roche limit, the distribution of planets in the solar system and try to understand the physics underlying it.