Our Solar System
4.6 billion years ago, a cloud of gas and dust collapsed to form our Sun, planets, and everything in between.
Birth of the Sun
About 4.6 billion years ago, a giant molecular cloud collapsed — possibly triggered by a nearby supernova. The center became our Sun, while leftover material formed a spinning disk of gas and dust.
Within this disk, particles collided and stuck together, gradually building up into planetesimals, then protoplanets, and finally the eight planets we know today.
Earth's Special Position
Earth sits in the habitable zone — the distance from the Sun where liquid water can exist. Too close, and water boils away (like Venus). Too far, and it freezes (like Mars). This 'Goldilocks zone' is crucial for life.
- •The Solar System formed from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas
- •Earth's distance from the Sun allows liquid water
- •Our Moon stabilizes Earth's tilt, giving us stable seasons
Resources from Space
Earth's mineral wealth — iron in its core, rare earth elements in its crust — comes from the solar nebula. Asteroid impacts delivered water and organic molecules. The resources that economies depend on were set in place billions of years ago.
💡 Did You Know?
Most of Earth's gold sank to the core during formation. The gold we mine today was delivered by asteroid impacts about 4 billion years ago.