CSUN Planet Formation and Exoplanets Properties Lab Report
CSUN Planet Formation and Exoplanets Properties Lab Report
Lab Report #11 – Planet Formation and Exoplanets Properties
Purpose: In this lab, we will first study the temperature and composition of the disk of material surrounding the Sun, just after the Sun formed. The planets formed from this disk of material. By studying the temperature and composition of this disk, we will be able to predict the composition we expect for each planet in the Solar System. In the second part of the lab, we will study the NASA Exoplanets website to learn about the different types of exoplanets, the main strategies to detect exoplanets, and some of the big and exciting discoveries in this young and active field.
Part 1: Temperature in Solar Disk and Planet Formation
Astronomers believe that the planets in our Solar System formed at the same time that the Sun formed. There is good evidence for this theory from observations of other young stars. In this theory, the Sun formed in a cold and dense molecular cloud. As the cloud collapsed and the Sun formed at the center of the cloud, the cloud began to spin faster and faster. As the cloud spun faster and faster, it flattened into a disk. The planets formed from this disk of material that surrounded the Sun. A table with the four main materials in the disk are shown below. The percentage of each material in the disk and the melting point for each material is also shown in the Table below. If the temperature is higher than the melting point of a material, the material will melt and it will change from a solid to a liquid.
Material |
Percentage of Composition of Disk |
Melting Point in Kelvin (K) |
Iron |
0.2% |
1800 |
Rock |
0.4% |
1500 |
Ices |
1.4% |
273 |
Hydrogen/Helium |
98% |
Always exist as gas |
Let’s first analyze the table above to determine some of the important properties of the disk and the materials.
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Which material is the material that is least available in the disk?
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Which material is the material that is most available in the disk?
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Which material in the disk has the highest melting point?
In order for a material to become part of a planet, it needs to be in the solid phase. If the temperature is below be melting point of a material, then the material will be in the solid phase and it can be part of a planet.
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Which material(s) in the disk are solid at a temperature of 200K?
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Which material(s) in the disk are solid at a temperature of 1000K?
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Which material(s) in the disk are solid at a temperature of 1600K?
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Which material(s) in the disk are solid at a temperature of 2000K?
DETAILED ASSIGNMENT
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