What critical external event did the Chamberlin-Moulton formulation hypothesize as the catalyst to source the initial material for planet formation?
Answer
A passing star gravitationally pulling out filamentary material from the Sun
A central, dramatic aspect of the Chamberlin-Moulton formulation was the requirement of an external trigger to initiate planetary formation. This model proposed that the Sun, already formed, experienced a close gravitational encounter with another massive body, a passing star. This close proximity caused immense tidal forces that effectively pulled long filaments of solar material away from the Sun. This ejected material subsequently cooled and fragmented into the small, solid components known as planetesimals, thus providing the necessary raw matter for the planets to eventually aggregate.
Related Questions
What is the formal name often used for what is commonly called the planetesimal theory?Which two key figures are attributed with the development of the detailed mechanism known as the Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis?What critical external event did the Chamberlin-Moulton formulation hypothesize as the catalyst to source the initial material for planet formation?In the Chamberlin-Moulton view, what fundamental force provided the initial impetus for ejecting material from the Sun to form planetary precursors?What process is defined as the mechanism of building up larger bodies from the fundamental building blocks called planetesimals?What characteristic was crucial for collisions between orbiting planetesimals to facilitate growth rather than destruction?Which issue concerning the solar system's distribution of momentum did the Chamberlin-Moulton model successfully address that troubled the classical Nebular Hypothesis?What compositional difference exists between planetesimals forming close to the Sun versus those forming beyond the 'frost line'?In the provided stages of growth, what dominant process characterized Stage 4, involving objects ranging from Moon-sized to Planet-sized?What is the current scientific consensus regarding the source of initial planetesimal material compared to the original Chamberlin-Moulton trigger event?