The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust. Over time, this material flattened into a rotating disk. Particles collided and gradually stuck together, forming planetesimals and eventually planets.
The formation of our solar system has been the subject of extensive research. Reconstructing what happened in the Solar System’s first few years has been a long and difficult process. Fortunately, the advent of powerful computers and the development of computer science have enabled more and more complex models that have helped illuminate the past of the Solar System.
The model below is an adaptation of the model we used to simulate the creation of the protoplanetary disk around the Sun. This one has the added algorithm of sticking the particles together to simulate the formation of planetesimals and ultimately stable planets.
Use the interactive model below to explore how particles come together to form larger bodies. You can adjust the viewing angle and zoom using your mouse.
Diagram created by Sam Leske.
References
Boulevard of broken rings — featured photo: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1625a/. The photo shows a transition disc, a short-lived stage between the protoplanetary phase, when planets have not yet formed, and a later time when planets have coalesced, leaving the disc populated only by any remaining — and predominantly dusty — debris.
Other examples of protoplanetary disk https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1904a/
