1. Solar Nebula: Our solar system began as a giant cloud of gas and dust called a nebula.
2. Gravitational Collapse: This cloud collapsed under its own gravity, spinning faster and flattening into a disk.
3. Accretion: Dust and gas particles within the disk began to clump together through collisions and electrostatic forces, forming larger bodies called planetesimals.
4. Inner Solar System: In the inner, hotter region of the disk, where the Sun formed, light elements like hydrogen and helium were blown away by the solar wind. This left behind heavier elements like rock and metal, which accreted to form the rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars).
5. Outer Solar System: In the colder outer region, lighter elements like hydrogen and helium were able to condense and contribute to the formation of the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
In summary: The rocky planets formed closer to the Sun in the inner solar system because the intense heat of the early Sun pushed lighter elements away, leaving behind heavier elements that made up the rocky planets.
