Question

Suppose the solar wind had cleared away the solar nebula before the seeds of the jovian planets could gravitationally draw in hydrogen and helium gas. How would the planets of the outer solar system be different? Would they still have many moons? Explain your answer in a few sentences.

Answer 1

If the solar wind had cleared away the solar nebula before the seeds of the jovian planets could gravitationally draw in hydrogen and helium gas, the planets of the outer solar system would be smaller and less massive, resulting in fewer moons.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the solar wind had cleared away the solar nebula before the seeds of the jovian planets could gravitationally draw in hydrogen and helium gas, the planets of the outer solar system would be different in several ways. Without the gas, the outer planets would be much smaller and less massive. Consequently, they would not be able to attract and hold onto as many moons compared to the actual outer planets.