How Was the Solar System Formed? A Beginner's Guide A shock wave from a nearby supernova explosion probably initiated the collapse of the solar nebula. The initial formation period ended when much of the available raw material was used up and the solar wind (the flow of atomic particles) from the young Sun blew away the remaining supply of lighter gases. If a moon is revolving in the same direction as the planet's rotation and the planet is rotating faster than the orbital period of the moon, the bulge will constantly be pulled ahead of the moon. Five billion years ago, a giant cloud floated in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers speculate that a smaller object must have hit Mercury, vaporizing its crust and leaving only the larger-than-usual iron core. Sun begins to form. [25] Studies of T Tauri stars show that they are often accompanied by discs of pre-planetary matter with masses of 0.0010.1M. [according to whom? [43] This scenario explains the Kuiper belt's and scattered disc's present low mass. Or is there not enough mass,energy or gravity there for the process to continue? This allowed some material to continue to fall into the growing star, while the rest of the disk gradually stabilized. [59][60] In contrast, comets from the Kuiper belt or farther regions delivered not more than about 6% of Earth's water. Where did they come from? 4. [42] The main problem with formation theories for these planets is the timescale of their formation. are licensed under a, Observing the Sky: The Birth of Astronomy, Observations outside Earths Atmosphere, Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System, Life, Chemical Evolution, and Climate Change, Cosmic Influences on the Evolution of Earth, Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System, The Origin and Fate of Comets and Related Objects, Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System, Sources of Sunshine: Thermal and Gravitational Energy, Mass, Energy, and the Theory of Relativity, Using Spectra to Measure Stellar Radius, Composition, and Motion, Variable Stars: One Key to Cosmic Distances, The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System, The HR Diagram and the Study of Stellar Evolution, Evidence That Planets Form around Other Stars, Planets beyond the Solar System: Search and Discovery, Exoplanets Everywhere: What We Are Learning, Evolution from the Main Sequence to Red Giants, Evolution of Massive Stars: An Explosive Finish, Pulsars and the Discovery of Neutron Stars, Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes, Supermassive Black Holes: What Quasars Really Are, Quasars as Probes of Evolution in the Universe, The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies, Galaxy Mergers and Active Galactic Nuclei, The Formation and Evolution of Galaxies and Structure in the Universe, The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, How to Study for an Introductory Astronomy Class, Physical and Orbital Data for the Planets, The Nearest Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and White Dwarfs. Its speed is about 220km/s. How The Solar System Was Formed.