History of the Solar System

By haewchoi
  • 4600 BCE

    Birth of Sun

    Birth of Sun
    The solar system was originally a gas cloud. From a shockwave caused by the explosion of another star, the gas cloud's gravitation collapsed. Thus creating the sun and a protoplanetary disc around it.
    (Photo: Williams, Matt. “What Is the Life Cycle Of The Sun?” Universe Today, 24 Sept. 2016, www.universetoday.com/18847/life-of-the-sun/)
  • 4600 BCE

    Primary Accretion Stage Begins

    Primary Accretion Stage Begins
    During this stage, dust rocks that orbit the sun would collide creating protoplanets. These protoplanets would be able to attract and gather more objects after they were able to form a size that was about 1 kilometer wide. (More information on the Primary Accretion Stage timespan)
    (Photo: Tann. “Experiments Cast Doubt on How the Earth Was Formed.” The Archaeology News Network, 14 Aug. 2017, archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/08/experiments-cast-doubt-on-how-earth-was.html)
  • Period: 4600 BCE to 4590 BCE

    Primary Accretion Stage

    From the birth of the sun to 10 million years after, this period was the primary accretion stage. (Look at the Primary Accretion Stage Begins event for more information)
    Since 10000 years after the sun's formation, the inner circle of the solar system would have planetesimals, which would later become planet embryos. The planets on the outer circle of the solar system were cooler and so able to attract and attach to more objects, which allowed them to grow larger.
  • 4590 BCE

    Giant Impact Stage Begins

    Giant Impact Stage Begins
    From 10 million years after the sun's formation, the giant impact stage begins. During this time, there are 4 rock planets in the interior of the solar system, whilst there are 2 gas giants and 2 ice giants in the exterior. This was the period when the moon formed.
    (Photo: “Formation of the Solar System: Birth of Worlds.” NASA, NASA, mobile.arc.nasa.gov/public/iexplore/missions/pages/yss/november.html)
  • Period: 4590 BCE to 4500 BCE

    Giant Impact Stage

  • 4540 BCE

    Formation of Moon

    Formation of Moon
    The moon formed about 60 million years after the Sun formed. It is said that the moon was formed using the debris from Earth. The debris was created from an object, the size of mercury, colliding with the Earth. The moon has since orbit the Earth.
    (Photo: Berry, Dana, and Robin Canup. “Formation of the Moon.” Formation of the Moon, 26 Sept. 2016, earthspacecircle.blogspot.com/2016/09/formation-of-moon.html)
  • 4500 BCE

    Late Accretion Stage Begins

    Late Accretion Stage Begins
    This is 100 million years after the sun's formation. In this stage, asteroids the size of pluto would collide into the planets. These asteroids were dispositing metals to the surface of those planets. (More information in Late Accretion Stage timespan)
    (Photo: Atkinson, Nancy. “Ancient Asteroids Kept Pelting Earth in a 'Late-Late' Heavy Bombardment.” Universe Today, 24 Dec. 2015, www.universetoday.com/94810/ancient-asteroids-kept-pelting-earth-in-a-late-late-heavy-bombardment/)
  • Period: 4500 BCE to 4000 BCE

    Late Accretion Stage

    During this time, asteroids had collided into the planets. It is suggested that the Earth's crust was also developing during this time.
  • 4450 BCE

    Planetary Cooling

    Planetary Cooling
    Planetary cooling began at around 4.45 billion years ago, about 150 million years since the formation of the Solar System, right around the Late Accretion stage. From the evidence, although it shows the chondrite samples to be about 4.5 billion years old, the samples on the planets were only 4.45 billion, and so, based on the planets, cooling began at around that time.
    (Photo: https://www.sutori.com/item/untitled-fa13-9b07)
  • 4000 BCE

    Late Heavy Bombardment Begins

    Late Heavy Bombardment Begins
    The late heavy bombardment period began 600 million years after the sun's formation. During this time, it is said that the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, migrated in and out of the inner circle of the solar system. That migration helped clear out most of the debris and rocks in the solar system.
    (Photo: “NLSI Scientists Find History of Asteroid Impacts in Earth Rocks.” NASA, NASA, sservi.nasa.gov/articles/nlsi-scientists-find-history-of-asteroid-impacts-in-earth-rocks/)
  • Period: 4000 BCE to 3800 BCE

    Late Heavy Bombardment

    At the end of the heavy bombardment period, the comet was not the only revelation. During the end, the first organisms were developing, these were simple cells similar to bacteria.
  • 3800 BCE

    End of Heavy Bombardment

    End of Heavy Bombardment
    Around 800 million years after the sun's birth, it is said that comets collided into Earth. Those comets were carrying water, which provided Earth with water after collision. (More information in Late Heavy Bombardment timespan)
    (Photo: Kamber, Balz. “Comets or Volcanoes? Scientists Are Changing Their Minds about How the Earth's Water Got Here.” The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2019, theconversation.com/comets-or-volcanoes-scientists-are-changing-their-minds-about-how-the-earths-water-got-here-73781)
  • 3000 BCE

    Other Features Form

    Other Features Form
    About 1.6 billion years after the sun's formation, which is about 3 billion years ago, the heat from the core is trying to escape, which causes activities in the core. Our magnetic fields, continents, and tectonic plates were formed, too. The volcanoes and other gas releasing features are ways the heat from the core escapes.
    (Photo: Williams, Matt. “What Are the Earth's Layers?” Phys.org, Phys.org, 7 Dec. 2015, phys.org/news/2015-12-earth-layers.html)