If our Sun was Population II, the solar system would contain no ________ planets.
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "sun population II" to get these possible sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallicity
http://physics.uoregon.edu/~jimbrau/astr123/Notes/Chapter23.html
http://www.seds.org/messier/galaxy.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-470379/Population-I
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/starlog/pop12.html
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
terrestrial
If our Sun was Population II, the solar system would contain no gas giant planets.
To understand why this is the case, we need to first understand what Population II stars and planets are.
In astronomy, stars are classified into different "populations" based on their composition and age. Population II stars are typically older, metal-poor stars found in globular clusters and the central halo of galaxies. These stars have a lower abundance of heavy elements compared to Population I stars, which include younger stars like our Sun.
The composition of a star's planetary system is closely tied to the composition of the star itself. Population I stars, like our Sun, have higher amounts of heavy elements, such as iron, oxygen, and carbon. These heavy elements play a crucial role in the formation of planets.
Gas giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, but they also contain a significant amount of heavier elements. These elements act as the building blocks for the planet's core and influence its overall structure and composition. Therefore, the low metallicity of Population II stars would result in a lack of heavy elements necessary for the formation of gas giant planets.
To explain this concept to someone else, you could say that Population II stars have lower metallicity compared to Population I stars like our Sun. Gas giant planets require a significant amount of heavy elements to form, which are lacking in the protoplanetary disks around Population II stars. Hence, if our Sun was Population II, the solar system would not contain any gas giant planets.