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Current estimates for the distribution of mass in our solar system suggest that the Sun contains 99.8 to 99.9 percent of the total mass. Is this close to what you calculated? If not, what might be some other sources of mass in our solar system?

Answer :

Final answer:

The Sun contains 99.8 to 99.9 percent of the solar system's mass, which aligns with current estimates. Other mass contributors include planets, moons, asteroids, and some space dust. Together, these elements represent the minor share of mass compared to the Sun.


Explanation:

Distribution of Mass in Our Solar System

Current estimates indicate that the Sun contains between 99.8 to 99.9 percent of the total mass of our solar system. This is indeed close to what most scientific calculations show, confirming that the Sun is the predominant source of mass within the solar system.

Besides the Sun, other significant sources of mass include:

  1. Planets: The eight planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, contain a considerable amount of mass, making Jupiter the most massive planet in the solar system.
  2. Moons: Many of these planets have moons that add to the total mass, with some like Ganymede and Titan being quite substantial.
  3. Small Bodies: This includes asteroids and comets, particularly the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which holds a large number of small rocky bodies.
  4. Space Dust and Gas: This represents the significant but less noticeable mass distributed in the solar system, primarily in the form of a thinly spread collection of particles and gas.

Overall, while the Sun holds the vast majority of the solar system's mass, these other sources collectively contribute to the remaining mass.


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