The solar system formed from a dust cloud disturbed by supernovae. Bok globules, similar clouds, block light, making it difficult to observe star formation. Planets formed from chunks of rock in the protoplanetary disk, with Jupiter possibly preventing collisions. Most debris has been cleared or moved into stable orbits. Other solar systems likely form similarly, often catalysed by supernovae. Extrasolar planets are common. New solar systems are continually forming, seeding star clouds with heavy elements.
The solar system formed from a region condensed into a local dust cloud. The explosions of nearby supernovae disturbed the balance of the dust cloud more than five billion years ago, creating a nugget of density at the center of which our Sun formed. Today we can observe these clouds in other regions of the galaxy: they are called globules of Bok. Because they are relatively dense dust clouds, Bok globules block light from objects in and behind them, being a subcategory of dark nebulae. This makes it impossible to directly observe the formation of new stars, although astrophysicists’ simulations give us a good idea of how this works.
Starting out as an irregular cloud, once a center of gravity was established, many of the dust particles in the cloud that made up the early solar system would have begun moving in more regular orbits, circling the newborn star like a protoplanetary disk. Within the cloud, large chunks of rock condensed into the planets, which proceeded to clear material from their orbits, integrating it into themselves. Jupiter, being the most massive of the planets, probably did a lot of research. Many astronomers believe that Jupiter may have actually made life possible on Earth by absorbing much of the stray rocks in our solar system, preventing them from hitting other planets like ours.
After tens or hundreds of millions of years, most of the solar system’s debris has either been removed from the planets or moved into stable orbits in resonance with those of the planets. This is why most asteroids and space debris are located in relatively precise bands, such as the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and the Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Astronomers theorize that most solar systems form in much the same way, although for more massive stars, stable orbits are further apart. Many stars are also members of binary systems, in which case the stars themselves scavenge more debris than their planetary companions. In recent years, scientists have discovered hundreds of extrasolar planets, and it seems a safe bet that most stars have them. New solar systems are continually forming, often catalysed by supernova explosions, seeding star clouds with heavy elements.
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