The Universe

S06E03 How the Solar System was Made

The Solar System, at 4.6 billion years old, serves as our steadfast home in the cosmos. But what led to its formation? This episode explores its origins, starting from a delicate cloud of gas and dust. A nearby supernova triggered a chain reaction, causing gravity and natural rotation to shape the material into a flat disc, giving rise to the Sun and planets. Over a span of 700 million years, the planets competed for their positions, skillfully avoiding relentless asteroid impacts, ultimately settling into the orderly, stable system we now recognize as a potential rarity in the universe.