SOLAR SYSTEM

UNIVERSE

SURVEY OF THE PLANETS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Astronomers estimate that the age of the solar system is about ____ years.
A
4.6 million
B
4.6 billion
C
4.6 trillion
D
13.7 billions
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -To estimate the age of the Solar System, scientists use meteorites, which were formed during the early condensation of the solar nebula. Almost all meteorites (see the Canyon Diablo meteorite) are found to have an age of 4.6 billion years, suggesting that the Solar System must be at least this old.

Detailed explanation-2: -Formation. Our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust. The cloud collapsed, possibly due to the shockwave of a nearby exploding star, called a supernova. When this dust cloud collapsed, it formed a solar nebula – a spinning, swirling disk of material.

Detailed explanation-3: -The age of the Sun can be estimated from the ages obtained from radioactive dating of the oldest meteorites. This may seem odd at first, but in fact it is extremely likely that the solar system (i.e. th Sun, planets, asteroids etc.)

Detailed explanation-4: -Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for the oldest rocks to radiometrically date. In northwestern Canada, they discovered rocks about 4.03 billion years old.

Detailed explanation-5: -By dating the rocks in Earth’s ever-changing crust, as well as the rocks in Earth’s neighbors, such as the moon and visiting meteorites, scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years.

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