Planet Formation Clarified by Young Star System

Planet formation remains one of the mysteries of astrophysics. Find out how a new study sheds light on the process and offers a new method for future research in the field.

One odd thing about growing up during the Space Race is that I can’t remember when I found out there were other planets. It feels as though I’ve always realized that Earth is just one planet out of many orbiting an unremarkable star of which there are countless others.

Everyone had stars and planets on their minds in the 60s and 70s. Yet, nobody seemed to be curious about where worlds like Earth come from.

Even today, planet formation is essentially a mystery. Scientists explain the formation of our solar system using a model called the nebular theory.

Model Called the Nebular Theory

The concept originated with Emanuel Swedenborg in 1734. Immanuel Kant (yes, that Kant) elaborated on the idea in 1755. They both believed that gas clouds rotate and flatten into disks to form the stars and planets in solar systems.

Pierre-Simon Laplace developed a similar theory in 1796. He pictured the sun’s atmosphere stretching all the way out to the edge of the solar…