Earth Not From Same Nebula as Sun. Huh?

In summary: But there are other possibilities, including the idea that the inner proto-planets were differentiated before capture, and that the proto-Venus had less water to begin with, and that the Earth's water came from the proto-Earth's mantle during the collision. In summary, two new studies have found that the composition of the solar wind does not match the initial composition of the solar system, suggesting that Earth and other objects in our solar system were not formed from the same materials as the Sun. This challenges previous theories on the formation of the solar system and raises questions about how this heterogeneity came to be. The Capture Theory offers a potential explanation for these findings.
  • #1
Dotini
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623145430.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43513975/ns/technology_and_science-space/

This is either a hoax or colossal blunder from NASA, or it is the most disturbing news I've had all week. Apparently, we are cosmic orphans, adrift in an alien solar system!

Perhaps the next thing some bright lad will tell me is that our mother is Saturn, and that he knew it all along?

Well, at least Mr. Copernicus will be resting ever more comfortably in his grave...

In total amazement,
Steve
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #2
From the 2nd link:
McKeegan and his team measured the abundance of solar wind oxygen isotopes.

Is it possible the greater mass of O-17 and O-18 has resulted in less of these isotopes escaping by the solar wind?

Edit: Ah, read a little further and they have a hypothesis already trying to explain this process through different amounts of ionization of CO2 depending on the isotope of Oxygen.
I'd say the idea that we didn't form in the same nebula as the Sun is a little far fetched at this moment.
 
  • #3
Drakkith said:
Is it possible the greater mass of O-17 and O-18 has resulted in less of these isotopes escaping by the solar wind?

Edit: Ah, read a little further and they have a hypothesis already trying to explain this process through different amounts of ionization of CO2 depending on the isotope of Oxygen.
I'd say the idea that we didn't form in the same nebula as the Sun is a little far fetched at this moment.

If you are prepared to consider that the Earth was fissioned from the sun, then it's easier to think that isotopic ratios were redistributed at the time of fission rather than from some latter day Deus ex Machina, wouldn't you think? But I agree, either is preferable to accepting the idea that Earth is not of this solar system.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
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  • #4
Dotini said:
If you are prepared to consider that the Earth was fissioned from the sun, then it's easier to think that isotopic ratios were redistributed at the time of fission rather than from some latter day Deus ex Machina, wouldn't you think? But I agree, either is preferable to accepting the idea that Earth is not of this solar system.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

I have no idea what you just said.
 
  • #5
Dotini said:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623145430.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43513975/ns/technology_and_science-space/

This is either a hoax or colossal blunder from NASA, or it is the most disturbing news I've had all week. Apparently, we are cosmic orphans, adrift in an alien solar system!

McKeegan said we didn't form from the same solar nebula materials, not that we didn't form from the same nebula. All he means is that there was some redistribution of matter in the solar nebula which we don't yet understand.
 
  • #6
Of course Michael Woolfson's Capture Theory could explain this one. The planets might have been a disrupted low proto-star captured as Jeans Mass clumps as it flew past the proto-Sun. It's a theory consistent with so much about the Sun and the planets, but lacking the "elegance" of the usual monistic theories.
 
  • #7
ideasrule said:
McKeegan said we didn't form from the same solar nebula materials, not that we didn't form from the same nebula. All he means is that there was some redistribution of matter in the solar nebula which we don't yet understand.

"These findings show that all solar system objects including the terrestrial planets, meteorites and comets are anomalous compared to the initial composition of the nebula from which the solar system formed," said Bernard Marty, a Genesis co-investigator from Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques and the lead author of the other new Science paper. "Understanding the cause of such a heterogeneity will impact our view on the formation of the solar system."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623145430.htm
 
  • #8
Dotini said:
"These findings show that all solar system objects including the terrestrial planets, meteorites and comets are anomalous compared to the initial composition of the nebula from which the solar system formed," said Bernard Marty, a Genesis co-investigator from Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques and the lead author of the other new Science paper. "Understanding the cause of such a heterogeneity will impact our view on the formation of the solar system."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623145430.htm

Perfectly consistent with the Capture Theory. Tidal down-sizing of the proto-planets could produce Earth and Venus from the two inner captured objects. Woolfson's preferred scenario for some of the other isotopic anomalies observed is a high speed collision between the two, and a thermonuclear explosion because Venus was enriched in deuterium. Maybe.
 

1. What does it mean for Earth to not be from the same nebula as the Sun?

It means that Earth and the Sun did not form from the same cloud of gas and dust in space. Instead, they formed from different nebulae, or regions of space where stars are born.

2. How do scientists know that Earth is not from the same nebula as the Sun?

Scientists can study the composition of the Sun and compare it to the composition of other stars and nebulae. They have found that the chemical makeup of the Sun is different from the chemical makeup of the nebula that Earth formed from.

3. Why is it important to know that Earth and the Sun come from different nebulae?

Knowing that Earth and the Sun are from different nebulae can help us understand the formation and evolution of our solar system. It also provides evidence for the diversity of nebulae and the processes involved in forming planets and stars.

4. Does this mean that Earth is not a part of our solar system?

No, Earth is still considered a part of our solar system. It simply means that Earth and the Sun have different origins, but they are still gravitationally bound to each other and part of the same system.

5. Could there be other planets in our solar system that are also not from the same nebula as the Sun?

Yes, it is possible that there are other planets in our solar system that formed from different nebulae. In fact, recent research has suggested that there may be a ninth planet in our solar system that was formed from a different nebula than the other eight planets.

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