Final answer:
The composition of the planets is influenced by materials condensing out at different temperatures throughout the solar system, with hotter regions near the Sun lacking lighter compounds and cooler regions farther out having abundant icy and gaseous materials.The correct answer is option A.
Step-by-step explanation:
The varying composition of the planets in our solar system can be explained by materials that condense out at higher temperatures being found near the sun and materials that condense out at lower temperatures being found farther out.
This is because the inner solar system was too hot for materials such as ice or carbonaceous organic compounds to condense, and as a result, are lacking on the innermost planets.
The outer solar system has always been cooler, allowing for planets and moons to be composed mostly of ice and gas. Notably, the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn share a hydrogen-dominated composition, indicating they were formed from the same reservoir of material.
The terrestrial planets, in contrast, are richer in heavy elements such as iron and silicon, due to the absence of lighter gases that were excluded during planet formation in the inner solar system.The correct answer is option A.