3.3: Formation of Planetary Systems

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Page ID: 55230

Robert Wagner
HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College

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This section examines how stars and planetary systems form from clouds of gas and dust. It describes the collapse of a solar nebula, the formation of a rotating disk around the young Sun, and the processes by which small particles gradually combined to form planetesimals and planets. The resulting structure of our solar system provides important evidence for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.

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