Formation of the Sun and Planets
Giant clouds of gas and dust in space, called nebulae, are the birthplace of stars and our solar system.
About 5 billion years ago, one of these nebulae formed our Sun and solar system, as explained by the nebular hypothesis.
According to this hypothesis, the solar system began as a cold, spinning cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula. As it contracted under gravity, its temperature, pressure, and rotation speed increased, flattening into a spinning disk.
At the disk's center, gravity pulled in most material, creating extreme heat and pressure. This triggered nuclear fusion, where hydrogen fused into helium, and a star, the Sun, was born.
Meanwhile, the outer disk cooled, and dust and gas clumped together. Over time, these clumps grew into the solar system's planets, moons, and other objects.
Since gravity pulled heavy materials inward, rocky inner planets like Venus and Earth have formed. Farther from the Sun, cooler regions allowed lighter materials like hydrogen and helium to form gaseous outer planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
Formation of the Sun and Planets
The Sun and planets formed from a vast cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula. Around 4.6 billion years ago,…
Giant clouds of gas and dust in space, called nebulae, are the birthplace of stars and our solar system.
About 5 billion years ago, one of these nebulae formed our Sun and solar system, as explained by the nebular hypothesis.
According to this hypothesis, the solar system began as a cold, spinning cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula. As it contracted under gravity, its temperature, pressure, and rotation speed increased, flattening into a spinning disk.
At the disk's center, gravity pulled in most material, creating extreme heat and pressure. This triggered nuclear fusion, where hydrogen fused into helium, and a star, the Sun, was born.
Meanwhile, the outer disk cooled, and dust and gas clumped together. Over time, these clumps grew into the solar system's planets, moons, and other objects.
Since gravity pulled heavy materials inward, rocky inner planets like Venus and Earth have formed. Farther from the Sun, cooler regions allowed lighter materials like hydrogen and helium to form gaseous outer planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
Giant clouds of gas and dust in space, called nebulae, are the birthplace of stars and our solar system.
About 5 billion years ago, one of these nebulae formed our Sun and solar system, as explained by the nebular hypothesis.
According to this hypothesis, the solar system began as a cold, spinning cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula. As it contracted under gravity, its temperature, pressure, and rotation speed increased, flattening into a spinning disk.
At the disk's center, gravity pulled in most material, creating extreme heat and pressure. This triggered nuclear fusion, where hydrogen fused into helium, and a star, the Sun, was born.
Meanwhile, the outer disk cooled, and dust and gas clumped together. Over time, these clumps grew into the solar system's planets, moons, and other objects.
Since gravity pulled heavy materials inward, rocky inner planets like Venus and Earth have formed. Farther from the Sun, cooler regions allowed lighter materials like hydrogen and helium to form gaseous outer planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
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