The Sun and its planets formed form a huge cloud (disk) of dust which contained both light and heavy elements, but there were more light elements (hydrogen) than heavy.
As the disk coalesced into the sun and planets the areas close to the young sun were too hot (heated by the sun) for the light elements to condense and settle onto the young inner planets which are therefore rocky, while the outer planets being further from the sun did accumulate the lighter and more volatile elements. However in the centers of the giant planets there are rocky (heavy) cores.
The light elements come from the very origin of the Universe. Hydrogen, being the simplest element, is still the most common element in the Universe. During the heat of the Big Bang, some Helium was produced, but almost no metals (i.e., heavier elements).The reason we have relatively few hydrogen and helium on Earth is because most of it must have escaped to space during the formation of Earth. More massive planets, like Jupiter, have a much larger percentage of hydrogen and helium.
The nuclear process that converts helium and hydrogen into heavier elements is nuclear fusion. In this process, the nuclei of lighter elements combine to form the nuclei of heavier elements, releasing large amounts of energy in the process. This is the process that powers stars like our Sun.
Mainly hydrogen and helium. The reason for this is simply that these are the most common elements in the Universe.
The atmosphere of the gas giants is usually made up of mostly of hydrogen and what?
The process is called fusion; hydrogen nuclei are fused together to make helium. At much higher temperatures and pressures, the helium can fuse into carbon and nitrogen and oxygen.
Planets near the sun likely lost lighter elements like hydrogen and helium due to the sun's high temperature and solar wind. These elements were blown away, leaving behind the heavier elements that make up the terrestrial planets closer to the sun.
Hydrogen and helium are the primary elements on those planets.
Hydrogen is about 7 lighter than helium.
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Helium is lighter than hydrogen. Helium has an atomic number of 2, which means it has two protons and two neutrons in its nucleus, making it lighter than hydrogen, which has only one proton in its nucleus.
Hydrogen is the lightest of all elements. According to the Periodic Table, its atomic weight is 1.00794 u, even lighter than helium.
The two most abundant elements in nebulae are hydrogen and helium. These elements make up the majority of the mass in interstellar clouds and are the building blocks for the formation of stars and planets.
The Jovian planets are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, with small amounts of other elements like water, methane, and ammonia. These planets have thick atmospheres and lack a solid surface, making them significantly different from the terrestrial planets like Earth.
Earth
The light elements come from the very origin of the Universe. Hydrogen, being the simplest element, is still the most common element in the Universe. During the heat of the Big Bang, some Helium was produced, but almost no metals (i.e., heavier elements).The reason we have relatively few hydrogen and helium on Earth is because most of it must have escaped to space during the formation of Earth. More massive planets, like Jupiter, have a much larger percentage of hydrogen and helium.
Hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon are the most abundant elements in the universe.
The two most prevalent elements on Jovian or gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn are hydrogen and helium. These elements make up the bulk of their composition, with hydrogen being the most abundant element in their atmospheres.