Formation of Planetary Systems: The Solar System and Beyond
Learning Objectives
Summarize the major planetary features that a theory of
solar-system origins must explain.
Outline the process by which planets form as natural by-products
of star formation, and explain how that process accounts for the
overall properties of our solar system.
Describe how comets and asteroids formed, and explain their role
in determining planetary properties.
Discuss the role of collisions in determining specific
characteristics of the solar system.
Outline the properties of known extrasolar planets, and explain
how they differ from planets in the solar system.
Discuss how observations of extrasolar planets challenge current
theories of solar-system formation.