The explosion that created our Solar System
In the previous step we looked at the importance of the formation of light and then heavier elements.
Elements can join together in millions of different combinations and are the ingredients of all the substances in the universe and on Earth.
Here we will explore how elements formed into the Earth, planets and Solar System.
The creation of the Solar System
Our own Solar System was created as a result of the extreme event of an exploding star nearly five billion years ago. This energetic explosion at the end of a star, ejected elements and they spread as cosmic dust.
As the temperature started to cool the cosmic dust began to cluster together due to gravitational forces and the attraction of mass. The result was the formation of the Sun, which is the central star and centre of gravity in our Solar System, and a string of planets orbiting around it.
The relative distance of each planet from the Sun is due to the unique combination of elements of which each planet is made up. Planets that consist of heavier elements are closer to the Sun because the heavier something is, the more difficult it is to move away from the centre of gravity.
Planets in the Solar System by WP is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
The inner ‘rocky planets’, consisting of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are predominantly built by heavier elements.
The outer so called ‘gas planets’ of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are predominantly built by lighter elements.
Is our planet the result of an extreme event?
Cosmological
A timescale that begins from the very start of the universe, believed to be 14 billion years ago.
Geological
A timescale that begins from the formation of the Earth, believed to be 4.5 billion years ago.
From a cosmological point of view, the formation of a planet does not seem to be an extreme event. It appears to be a relative frequent event in the history of our universe.
However, from a geological point of view, this event created the unique planet on which we live and it marks the start of geological timescales. This extreme event is also associated with massive amounts of energy and extraordinary violence beyond our imagination.
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