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A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away! Our solar system formed in less than 200,000 years, nearly half the time humans have walked the Earth, a study reveals
- The solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago from the collapse of a dense cloud of gas
- By studying isotopes in ancient meteorites, scientists tracked its gestation
- They expected the time frame to be significantly longer
- Humans have been on Earth for about 300,000 years
Our solar system is vast but it formed very quickly, according to a new study.
By analyzing billion-year isotopes on meteorites, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory determined the Sun and the rest of our star system was created in less than 200,000 years.
For comparison, homo sapiens has been walking the Earth for at least 300,000 years.
The researchers expected the time frame for the development of the solar system to be closer to one or two million years, judging by the development of other star systems.
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The artistic conception of the dust and gas surrounding a newly formed planetary system. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory believe that the Sun and the rest of our solar system were created in less than 200,000 years.
“Previously, the formation period was not really known for our solar system,” said LLNL cosmochemist Greg Brennecka, lead author of an article published Thursday in the journal Science.
“This work shows that this collapse, which led to the formation of the solar system, happened very quickly, in less than 200,000 years.”
Our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago from the collapse of a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust.
Astrophysicists theorize that the collapse was caused by the shock wave of an exploding supernova.
The team dated molybdenum isotopes found in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, including Allende, the largest carbonaceous chondrite found on Earth, which landed in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1969. These meteorites are rich in calcium-rich inclusions. aluminum, the oldest known solids in our solar system
Given the age of our star system, the speed of its development is the equivalent of a pregnancy lasting half a day, rather than nine months.
“This was a quick process,” Brennecka said.
His team dated molybdenum isotopes found in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, including Allende, the largest carbonaceous chondrite found on Earth, which landed in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1969.
These meteorites are rich in calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, the oldest known solids in our solar system.
Scientists in the lab analyzed the molybdenum isotopes in the inclusions and determined that they formed over a period of approximately 40,000-200,000 years.
This means that our solar system must also have formed in that time frame.
Our solar system continues to reveal new facets of itself: it may even have been the home of an “extra” planet located between Saturn and Uranus.
Researchers running simulations of how the solar system developed believe a mysterious planet changed the relationship between Saturn (seen here) and Uranus before being “ knocked out ” from orbit.
According to a recent report in Icarus magazine, this rogue globe was ejected from orbit, but its presence led to the planetary formation we know today.
The configuration of the planets in our system is highly atypical, and scientists have long tried to explain how it came about.
Researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science have run thousands of models of how the orbit of the solar system’s planets has evolved.
Their conclusion is that the orbits of the “ice giant” planets, Uranus and Neptune, were affected by the gravitational pull of a mysterious vanished planet, an ice giant that once lay between Saturn and Uranus.
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