planet formation
Dust becomes worlds
Planet formation is the process by which planets develop from the gas and dust surrounding a young star.
In the standard model, particles in a protoplanetary disk collide and stick together, gradually building larger bodies—from dust grains to planetesimals to protoplanets—over millions of years.
Scientists study planet formation to understand how our solar system came to be.
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- nebulaInterstellar gas formation
- gas giantHydrogen-helium planetary body
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
- planetesimalPrimordial orbiting rock
runaway growth · collision · differentiation · star system · Oort cloud · ice giant · spectroscopy · tidal forces · stellar nursery · brown dwarf · spiral arm · exoplanet · angular momentum · migration · habitable zone · solar nebula · exoplanet · solar nebula
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