Ahrens, Thomas J. (1994) The Origin of the Earth. Physics Today, 47 (8). pp. 38-45. ISSN 0031-9228. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141022-151639123
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Abstract
The question of the origin of the blue planet pictured in figure 1 is related to other questions about our beginnings. These include the origin of the universe, the evolution of galaxies and stars, the origin of life and the ascent of humankind. In the late 1700s both Pierre‐Simon Laplace and Immanuel Kant suggested that Earth and the other planets in the solar system had condensed from a flattened nebular disk surrounding the Sun. Since these astute hypotheses were suggested, a series of well‐known physical scientists including James Jeans, Gerald Kuiper and Harold Urey have developed a now widely accepted theory of the accretion of the Earth and planets. Their theory, which I describe below, was based on telescopic observations of the solar system,theoretical calculations and the study of meteorites. Now referred to as the Schmidt theory (after Otto Yu. Schmidt of the Institute of the Earth, Moscow), it explains the formation of the planets as resulting from the accretion of already solid bodies.
| Item Type: | Article | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | © 1994 American Institute of Physics. I appreciate the assistance of Anneila Sargent, David Stevenson, Donald Burnett, Guang Chen and James Tyburczy in reviewing this article. | |||||||||
| Issue or Number: | 8 | |||||||||
| Record Number: | CaltechAUTHORS:20141022-151639123 | |||||||||
| Persistent URL: | https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141022-151639123 | |||||||||
| Official Citation: | The Origin of the Earth Thomas J. Ahrens Phys. Today 47, 8, 38 (1994) | |||||||||
| Usage Policy: | No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. | |||||||||
| ID Code: | 50701 | |||||||||
| Collection: | CaltechAUTHORS | |||||||||
| Deposited By: | Ruth Sustaita | |||||||||
| Deposited On: | 23 Oct 2014 16:21 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 03 Oct 2019 07:25 |
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