The Solar System, at 4.6 billion years old, serves as our steadfast home in the cosmos. But what led to its formation? This episode explores its origins, starting from a delicate cloud of gas and dust. A nearby supernova triggered a chain reaction, causing gravity and natural rotation to shape the material into a flat disc, giving rise to the Sun and planets. Over a span of 700 million years, the planets competed for their positions, skillfully avoiding relentless asteroid impacts, ultimately settling into the orderly, stable system we now recognize as a potential rarity in the universe.
Show
The Universe
Episode
S06E03
Air Date
Nov 08, 2011