How do planets form?

 The formation of planets is a fascinating process that occurs within the context of star formation. Here's a breakdown of the key stages:

 * The Solar Nebula:

   * It all begins with a giant cloud of gas and dust called a molecular cloud.

   * This cloud collapses under its own gravity, often triggered by a disturbance like a nearby supernova.

   * As the cloud collapses, it spins and flattens into a rotating disk known as a protoplanetary disk or solar nebula.

   * Most of the material in the center of this disk forms the star (like our Sun).

 * Accretion:

   * The remaining dust and gas in the disk begin to clump together.

   * Tiny dust grains collide and stick together, forming larger and larger particles.

   * This process, called accretion, continues as these particles grow into pebble-sized, then boulder-sized, and eventually planetesimal-sized objects.

   * Planetesimals are essentially small, baby planets.

 * Planet Formation:

   * Planetesimals continue to collide and merge, eventually forming planets.

   * In the inner part of the disk, where it's warmer, rocky planets like Earth form.

   * In the outer part of the disk, where it's colder, gases like hydrogen and helium condense, forming gas giants like Jupiter.

   * Gas giants can also form by rapidly accreting large amounts of gas after a large rocky core has formed.

 * Clearing the Disk:

   * Once the planets have formed, the remaining gas and dust in the disk are cleared away.

   * This can happen through various processes, including:

     * The star's solar wind blowing away the remaining gas.

     * Planets sweeping up debris through their gravitational influence.

     * Collisions between remaining planetesimals.

Essentially, planet formation is a process of gradual accumulation, driven by gravity and collisions, within a disk of gas and dust surrounding a young star.

                                                                  By GEMINI