Formation of the Planets

1. What was the role of the Sun in the formation of the giant planets?

2. What happened to the outer planets as the icy planetesimals disappeared?

3. What are Plutinos, and how did they get to their present orbits?

4. How did the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud form?

5. Describe some ways that random processes affected the properties of planets.

6. Describe a possible history of a comet, observable from Earth, starting with its birth in the solar nebula near Jupiter.

7. How do astronomers detect extrasolar planets?

8. How do extrasolar planetary systems differ from the Solar System?

9. What is a 'hot Jupiter'?

10. Do observations of extrasolar planets imply that Earth-like planets are rare?