The MOST likely mechanism for the solar system is that the:
A) Sun and planets slowly condensed to their present form from a gas and dust cloud.
B) Sun captured the planets as they drifted through space.
C) solar system was once a galaxy from which the Sun and planets are the remnants, after evolution.
D) planets were spun out of the Sun as smaller gas clouds and subsequently condensed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most widely accepted theory for the formation of the solar system is the nebular hypothesis. This states that the Sun and planets slowly condensed out of a rotating disk of dust and gas (a nebula) about 4.6 billion years ago. The disk was once part of a larger interstellar cloud and began to collapse due to gravitational forces. The collapse led to the formation of the central protosun, which eventually became the Sun, and smaller protoplanets in the disk that would eventually coalesce to form the planets. This theory is supported by the observed orbits of the planets, their composition, and the presence of debris in the solar system.

The MOST Likely Mechanism for the Solar System Is That