1 Cloud of gas and dust collapses
An interstellar cloud of gas and dust, known as a solar nebula, collapsed in on itself and began to spin. Our newborn Sun began to shine in the centre of this spinning disc as the temperatures and pressures triggered thermonuclear fusion.
2 Material comes together
Heavier materials in the spinning disc of gas and dust started to form into clumps. Closer to the Sun these materials included rock and iron, but beyond the frost line, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, there were solid ‘ices’ like water, methane and ammonia.
3 Clumps collide and merge
Clumps combined through collisions and started to become the building blocks of planets. Over millions of years these planetesimals increased in size through more collisions. The four giant planets beyond…
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All About Space Annual (Digital) - 1 Issue, All About Space Annual (2024)