Chapter 18, Problem 1RQ

Why was the nebular hypothesis never fully accepted by astronomers of the day?

To determine

The reason behind the astronomers not fully accepting the nebular hypothesis.

Answer to Problem 1RQ

The reason behind the astronomers not fully accepting the nebular hypothesis is the missing explanation for the angular momentum of the planets.

Explanation of Solution

The most widely believed theory of the formation and evolution of the solar system is the nebular hypothesis but it has a few setbacks.

One of the major problems that the theory faced involved the distribution of the angular momentum between the planets and the Sun. The theory could not explain the fact that 99% of the angular momentum is possessed by the planets.

James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish scientist, also criticized the theory. He said that if this theory is correct then, “the Moon must necessarily have carried off water and air from the watery and aerial parts of the Earth and must have an atmosphere". However, this is not true.

The astronomers did not fully accept the theory because of its inadequacies and it urged them to discover a substitution for the theory.

Therefore, the reason behind the astronomers not fully accepting the nebular hypothesis is the missing explanation for the angular momentum of the planets.