Резанов И. A.

To explain the incongruity in the distribution of mass and momentum between the sun and the planets of the solar system, the Russian mathematician Otto Schmidt proposed the initial capture by the sun of a certain substance in the Galaxy, which became the basis of his cosmogonic hypothesis. While his calculations showed the theoretical possibility of the proposed scenraio, he had to make a number of assumptions, e. g., postulating homogenous accretion of matter and emergence of the planets from solid particles (i. e., cosmic dust and meteorites). Documenting the refutation of Schmidt’s hypothesis by astronomers and geologists, the paper indicates the inadequacy of reasoning based on deduction from the purely theoretical premises, when applied to natural phenomena.