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Multiple Choice
According to Newton's Law of Gravity, which of the following is a plausible explanation for the formation of hot Jupiters?
A
They formed close to their stars and remained in their current orbits.
B
They formed far from their stars and migrated inward due to gravitational interactions.
C
They formed from the collision of two smaller planets near their stars.
D
They formed from the rapid accumulation of gas in the outer regions of their star systems.
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand Newton's Law of Gravity, which states that every point mass attracts every other point mass in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This is expressed as: , where is the gravitational force, is the gravitational constant, and are the masses, and is the distance between the centers of the two masses.
Consider the formation of hot Jupiters, which are gas giant planets that orbit very close to their stars. The key question is how they ended up in such close orbits.
Evaluate the possibility of hot Jupiters forming close to their stars and remaining in their current orbits. Given the intense heat and radiation from the star, it is unlikely that gas giants could form and remain stable so close to their stars.
Examine the scenario where hot Jupiters formed far from their stars and migrated inward. This is plausible due to gravitational interactions with other bodies in the star system, which could alter their orbits over time, allowing them to move closer to their stars.
Consider the rapid accumulation of gas in the outer regions of their star systems. While this could lead to the formation of gas giants, it does not explain their current close proximity to their stars without additional gravitational interactions causing inward migration.