Science quiz: Formation of the solar system

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Visual: In this diagram, J, S, U, and N are the solar system’s giant planets. What’s the collective name for the objects in blue?

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What’s the most widely accepted scientific theory for the formation of our solar system, which suggests it began as a vast, rotating cloud of gas and dust? Among other features, this theory explains why the planets orbit the sun in nearly the same plane and direction.

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Through what process did dust and rock particles in the early solar system gradually stick together, forming larger bodies that eventually became planets? This process involved countless collisions over millions of years, building everything from small planetesimals to the planets we see today.

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What’s the name of the boundary in the early solar system that separated the hot inner regions from the colder outer regions? This line was crucial in determining the composition of the planets, dictating where rocky planets could form versus where gas and ice giants could develop.

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What’s the name of the model, named after a city in France, that suggests our solar system’s giant planets formed closer together and then migrated to their current positions? This planetary ‘reshuffling’ helps explain the Late Heavy Bombardment and the current setup of the outer solar system.

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________ ____  is the timescale on which a dynamic system, like the solar system, becomes chaotic and its future state becomes impossible to predict with certainty. According to the concept, planetary orbits that may seem stable actually have a finite limit of predictability over millions of years. Fill in the blanks.