The paths of all the planets around the sun are ellipses that are nearly circular, and they all lie nearly in the same plane. The asteroids have orbits that are more flattened or elliptical and these orbits are in some instances highly inclined to the planetary orbits. The comets have orbits that are usually very elongated ellipses or parabolas. Some of the comets may be only chance visitors to our solar system, though astronomers generally believe that they are all permanent members. Paths of comets pass around the sun at all angles and some comets move in their orbits from west to east, while others move in the opposite direction or retrograde. The behavior of the asteroids and comets is not at all in accord with the theory that was, until recently, universally advanced to explain the origin of the solar system.
Some astronomers have made attempts to modify the nebular hypothesis that has held sway for so many years, in order to make it fit in with more recent discoveries, but others feel that a new theory is now required to explain the origin of the solar system. Several theories have been advanced but no new theory has yet definitely replaced the famous nebular hypothesis of the noted French astronomer La Place.
[XVIII]
THE ORIGIN OF THE EARTH
It is not possible to consider the question of the origin of the earth apart from the question of the origin of the solar system. That all the planets, as well as the asteroids, originated from a common parent-mass has never been seriously questioned. All of these bodies revolve about the sun, and rotate upon their axes in the same direction—from west to east. Moreover, all of the planetary orbits lie very nearly in the same plane and are nearly circular in form.
The orbits of the asteroids are more elliptical and more highly inclined to one another than are the orbits of the planets, but on the average they are neither very elliptical nor very highly inclined to the planetary orbits.
The sun rotates upon its axis in the same direction in which the planets rotate and perform their revolutions, and the orbits of the planets are inclined at small angles to the plane of the sun's equator.
These facts are all significant and cannot be overlooked in formulating a theory to explain the origin of the planetary system in general and of the earth in particular. Presumably the planets and asteroids formed at one time a part of a central body which rotated on its axis in the direction in which they now revolve about the sun.