Question

In a young planetary system, even if we cannot see the planets directly, the planets can concentrate the dust particles into clumps and arcs that are much larger than the planets themselves and thus are more easily imaged.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

The statement is true: young planets in a planetary system can gravitationally influence dust particles to form observable clumps and arcs, aiding astronomers to image and locate them indirectly.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that in a young planetary system, even if we cannot see the planets directly, the planets can concentrate the dust particles into clumps and arcs that are much larger than the planets themselves and thus are more easily imaged is true. As in the example of the moons of Saturn shepherding dust particles into arcs within its rings, young planets can also exert gravitational effects on the surrounding dust in a protoplanetary disk. This gravitational interaction can lead to the formation of observable structures like clumps and arcs in the dust cloud, which are detectable despite the planets themselves being too faint to see.

By observing these dust patterns, astronomers can infer the presence of planets. This is essential because planets outside the solar system are extremely difficult to detect directly due to the overwhelming glare from their parent stars. The search for infrared radiation emitted by dust heated by a young protostar is a key technique used to study forming planetary systems before the majority of the dust is incorporated into the bodies of planets and moons.