Our Solar System
What is Solar System?
The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit
our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets,
asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas.
Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around
the Sun. The Sun contains around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The
larger an object is, the more gravity it has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful
gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar System towards it. At the same
time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly away from the Sun,
outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying to fly
away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become
trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping
into space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.
How Did The Solar System form?
This is an important question, and one that is difficult
for scientists to understand. After all, the creation of our Solar System took place
billions of years before there were any people around to witness it. Our own evolution
is tied closely to the evolution of the Solar System. Thus, without understanding
from where the Solar System came from, it is difficult to comprehend how mankind
came to be.
Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a
giant cloud of dust and gas. They believe that this dust and gas began to collapse
under the weight of its own gravity. As it did so, the matter in this could begin
moving in a giant circle, much like the water in a drain moves around the center
of the drain in a circle.
At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star begin
to form. This star grew larger and larger, as it collected more of the dust and
gas that were collapsing into it.
Further away from the star that was forming in the center
were smaller clumps of dust and gas that were also collapsing. The star in the center
eventually ignited forming our Sun, while the smaller clumps became the planets,
minor planets, moons, comets, and asteroids.