The Birth of Our Solar System

The solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a spinning cloud of gas and dust. Gravity caused the core to grow denser and hotter, eventually triggering nuclear fusion and forming the Sun. Lighter gases were pushed outward, leaving heavier materials to form rocky planets near the Sun. In the colder outer regions, ice and gas combined to form gas giants. The solar system is now approximately 4.6 billion years old.

What is believed to be the origin of the solar system?

How did the core of the cloud that formed the solar system change over time?

What process marked the birth of our Sun?

What materials were left closer to the sun after the lighter gases were swept away?

What were the characteristics of the regions further from the sun during the formation of the solar system?