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Formation of our Solar System
About 4.6 billion years ago, our solar system began as a vast, swirling cloud of gas and dust drifting through space. Over time, gravity pulled that material together, forming the Sun at the center and a spinning disk of debris around it. Within that disk, tiny grains collided and stuck, slowly growing into planetesimals, asteroids, and eventually the planets we know today.
The remnants of that early chaos — meteorites, comets, and planetary craters — still carry the clues that reveal how our solar system formed and evolved. In today’s lecture, we’ll explore the evidence for this remarkable transformation from cosmic dust to the structured planetary system we live in now.
Watch the Science Lesson
Recording posted 11/05/25!
Do the Assignments
Please download the Student Handout (use the button above) for specific homework and quiz questions assigned for this week.
Homework
Work through the assigned set of review questions, quantitative problems, and quiz questions.
Space Podcast
Students choose a space-related podcast episode to listen to and write a short summary in their journal.
Astronomer Spotlight - Due this week!
Your third poster and talk is due! This project includes both a visual component (printed or hand-written poster) and a brief presentation.
Lab Project Activity
When we look up at the night sky, we’re really peering back in time — but what if we could measure how far back? In this lab, you’ll use actual meteorite data to do just that.
By studying the tiny traces of radioactive isotopes locked inside space rocks, scientists can determine when those rocks first solidified — giving us a timestamp for the birth of our solar system. Using the same potassium–argon dating method employed by planetary scientists, you’ll calculate the ages of different meteorites and uncover how radiometric dating allows us to piece together one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries: how and when our solar system began.