nebular hypothesis

noun

, Astronomy.

1. the theory that the solar system evolved from a mass of nebular matter: prominent in the 19th century following its precise formulation by Laplace.

nebular hypothesis

noun

1. the theory that the solar system evolved from the gravitational collapse of nebular matter

nebular hypothesis

/ nĕb′yə-lər /

1. A model of star and planet formation in which a nebula contracts under the force of gravity, eventually flattening into a spinning disk with a central bulge. A protostar forms at the nebula's center. As matter condenses around the protostar in the bulge, planets are formed from the spinning matter in the disk. This theory is widely accepted to account for the formation of stars and planetary systems such as ours. The first version of the nebular hypothesis was proposed in 1755 by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and modified in 1796 by Pierre Laplace.
2. ◆ The nebula that according to this hypothesis condensed to form the solar system is called the solar nebula .

Word History and Origins

Origin of nebular hypothesis¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Taken in connection with what we know of the nebulæ, the proof of Laplace's nebular hypothesis may fairly be regarded as complete.

From Project Gutenberg

Allied to the preceding hypothesis is Shapley's nebular hypothesis.

From Project Gutenberg

A friend observes that this Poem is a remarkable exposition of the nebular hypothesis, as sanctioned by geologists.

From Project Gutenberg

The nebular hypothesis almost necessarily supposes matter to have originally formed one mass.

From Project Gutenberg

It had no sort of relation to the more modern, but equally misleading, “nebular hypothesis.”

From Project Gutenberg