Even as an explanation of the spiral nebul?, not as solar
systems in process of formation, but as the birthplaces of stellar
clusters, the Planetesimal Hypothesis would be open to many
objections. Granting its assumptions, it has undoubtedly a strong
mathematical framework, but the trouble is not with the mathematics
but with the assumptions. Laplace was one of the ablest mathematicians
that ever lived, but he had never seen a spiral nebula; if he had, he
might have invented a hypothesis to suit its phenomena. His actual
hypothesis was intended only for our solar system, and he left it in
the form of a ``note'' for the consideration of his successors, with
the hope that they might be able to discover the full truth, which he
confessed was hidden from him. It cannot be said that that truth has
yet been found, and when it is found the chances are that intuition
and not logic will have led to it.
The spiral nebul?, then, remain among the greatest riddles of the
universe, while the gaseous nebul?, like that of Orion, are no less
mysterious, although it seems impossible to doubt that both forms give
birth to stars. It is but natural to look to them for light on the
question of the origin of our planetary system; but we should not
forget that the scale of the phenomena in the two cases is vastly
different, and the forces in operation may be equally different.
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