What term explains the birth of stars and planets from a gas cloud due to gravitational forces?

• A. Planets farthest from the Sun
• B. Geocentric model
• C. Gravitational forces
• D. Venus

Answer: (C)

Gravity pulling on a cloud of gas and dust causes it to contract and collapse, a process that leads to the birth of stars at the center and, from the surrounding material, the formation of planets. The phrase that best captures the driving idea in the given choices is gravitational forces, since gravity is the force that initiates and powers this collapse and subsequent buildup. The other options don’t describe how stars and planets form: one refers to a position far from the Sun, another to an old geocentric model, and the last names a planet.