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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-solar-nebula-formation

From what did the solar system begin forming about 4.6 billion years ago?

A collapsing cloud of interstellar gas and dust.

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  1. Debris expelled by Earth
  2. A collision of finished planets
  3. A dense gas-and-dust cloud ✔

Why: Gravity collapsed part of an interstellar cloud into a rotating solar nebula. Most material collected at the center to form the Sun, while the disk supplied planet-building matter.

Huh, didn't know that: NASA notes that a nearby supernova shockwave may have helped trigger the cloud's collapse.

The dad joke
The solar system began with a cloud that had big plans.
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References

Answer: A dense gas-and-dust cloud. Gravity collapsed part of an interstellar cloud into a rotating solar nebula. Most material collected at the center to form the Sun, while the disk supplied planet-building matter.

  1. Solar System Facts science.nasa.gov/solar-system/solar-system-facts
    Our solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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