"A Capture Theory, of the Origin of the Solar System" in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London."

Michael Mark Woolfson

Published by Royal Society, London., 1964

About this Item

Michael Mark Woolfson, "A Capture Theory, of the Origin of the Solar System" in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series A, 1964 vol 282. The Woolfson appears on pp 485-505in the full bound volume of iv, 596pp. [++] Finely and newly rebound in cloth-backed marbled boards, with new endpapers. Fine copy. The binding and boards have been antiqued by the bookbinder so that the volume doesn't have the biblio-equivalent of that "new car smell". Really, though, the binder did a fabulous job with this.[++] The abstract of the Woolfson (1927-2021) paper is actually very concise and sums up the paper quite nicely namely that a protostar or some such came into close proximity with what would become our Sun, but was ripped apart the remnants of which became our planets and then forming into our very own solar system. So:--"Abstract: A theory of the origin of the Solar System is described which involves the capture of material from a light diffuse star which passed close to the Sun. It is shown that planetary condensations could be formed and that these would take up orbits with radii having the required range of values." [++] "[Woolfson's] position in Manchester required that [he] teach a variety of courses, and this helped stimulate his interest in other areas of physics. An astronomy textbook discussed theories on the origin of the Solar System, none of which seemed completely satisfactory, so Michael designed a model that he christened the Capture theory. It invoked a mechanism for the formation of the Solar System involving a tidal interaction between a condensed Sun and a collapsing protostar with the capture of protostar material by the Sun. The hypothesis was tested by computer modeling and found to be plausible." Biographical Memoirs of the Fellows of the Royal Society, vol 71, December 2021.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1712190368999

Bibliographic Details

• Title: "A Capture Theory, of the Origin of the Solar System" in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London."
• Publisher: Royal Society, London.
• Publication Date: 1964
• Binding: No Binding
• Condition: Fine
• Weight: 4 pounds
• Seller catalogs:
  • Astrophysics