For centuries, the mystery of the formation of planets it baffled humanity, challenging the brightest minds of different eras.
It was only at the end of the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, that a Soviet mathematician charted the path to a groundbreaking theory that, despite initial skepticism, revolutionized our understanding of the emergence of bodies celestial.
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In the past, theories about planetary formation oscillated between absurdity and speculation, but there was a basis of thought that sought to unravel the enigma.
The nebular hypothesis, suggested by Immanuel Kant in 1755 and later developed by Pierre-Simon Laplace in 1796, proposed that the Solar System began as a cloud of gas and dust. Under the Gravity force, this cloud shrank and heated, creating our Sun.
It was believed that the planets arose from a rotating disk of gas and dust around the Sun. However, the exact process of its formation remains an enigma.
(Image: Shutterstock/reproduction)
The decades passed, and the mystery of planetary origin remained. However, in a Cold War context, a Soviet mathematician named Viktor Safronov, who had received military training during World War II and excelling in physics and mathematics at Moscow University, he emerged as a leading figure determinant.
Safronov was recruited by Otto Schmidt into the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Schmidt, a supporter of the nebular hypothesis, had a burning desire to discover the origin of planets. He recognized Viktor's technical talent and invited him to research.
The mathematician immersed himself in complex calculations, based on statistics and fluid dynamics equations. Starting from the assumption that the Solar System began as the gravitational collapse of a cloud of gas and dust, Safronov estimated the effects of countless collisions between particles in this disk.
With meticulous calculations and deductions, he realized that, during these collisions, small particles aggregated, growing like snowflakes, until they became planets.
This concept, although bold, fit perfectly with cosmic observations and phenomena. However, at the time, the Soviet scientific community looked skeptically at Safronov's theory. His calculations seemed speculative and lacked solid evidence.
Despite the initial challenge, in 1969, after a decade of arduous study, Viktor Safronov published his research in a modest brochure that ended up in the hands of NASA.
Three years later, an English version of his theory came to light, opening new horizons in understanding the origin of planets.
Today, Viktor Safronov's legacy stands as a testament to the importance of perseverance and bold thinking in the pursuit of knowledge.
His journey began with skepticism and the unknown, revealing a fundamental part of the cosmos and illuminating the path to future discoveries in the vast universe.
