Formation of the Solar System Globular Nebular Hypothesis Dust Cloud Theory Solar Nebula

After the Big Bang Matter in the universe separated into galaxies. Gas and dust spread throughout space. Stars turn on and go through their lifecycle. At the end of a star’s life… They explode or let off their outer layer of gas and dust. This gas and dust become known as a Nebula

The Nebula A long time ago there was a cloud of gas and dust in space. This cloud was called a “planetary nebula”. This nebula began to condense in on itself by its own gravity. The left over outer layer of gas and dust from a Red Giant may have caused this.

Compression and Flattening The clouds compress and angular momentum caused the cloud to spin faster and faster. Similar to an ice skater who compresses herself. The cloud started to flatten out into a disc shape. Like tossing a pizza.

Heating – The Sun Forms This “early sun” was called a “protostar”. The compression caused the cloud to heat up a lot! The middle gets so hot that fusion begins and the star starts to form. This “early sun” was called a “protostar”.

The Planets Form Eventually chunks of gooey star material begin to stick to one another and come together like gooey cookie dough. This is called accretion (the collision and sticking of cooled microscopic dust and ice particles).

The Planets Form These chunks are called “planetesimals”. Planetesimals are the building blocks of planets. Planetesimals form by capturing material out of the nebula as it cooled.

Inner vs. Outer Planets The type of planets and what they are made of depend on the temperature.

WARMER COOLER

WARMER COOLER

Solar Wind – the remaining gas and dust was blown away.