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Well, first a giant star exploded and left behind a molecular cloud. In that cloud were all the heavier elements: iron, silicon, copper, nickel, carbon, etc., along with the lighter hydrogen and helium atoms. We can look at that cloud as ash, and call it "dust," if we choose. In essence, the dust cloud was gigantic, 100's of light years in size.
In short order--at least, it was short on the galactic scale of measuring time--the cloud began to spin and contract, spinning faster and faster as it shrunk due to gravitational forces. Within a few million years a new sun was formed at it's center. Then there was light.
In no time, the little dust balls all began clinging together, like dust bunnies. This created the planets. Suddenly the earth was separated from the heavens.
The planets were numerous in numbers; their orbits unstable. So, many of them collided with others--one such collision created our moon. But, before a 1/2 billion years were through, the orbits stabilized and the number of planets was reduced to 9 (if you still count Pluto, which I do), and most of those planets had stable orbiting moons. Order from chaos was achieved.
After that, lots of things happened. Some of it is still unknown, but the little planet that zoomed around in an orbit 3 rocks from the sun spawned life. The things which creepeth and crawleth had begun to inhabit the earth.
The rest is history.
In short order--at least, it was short on the galactic scale of measuring time--the cloud began to spin and contract, spinning faster and faster as it shrunk due to gravitational forces. Within a few million years a new sun was formed at it's center. Then there was light.
In no time, the little dust balls all began clinging together, like dust bunnies. This created the planets. Suddenly the earth was separated from the heavens.
The planets were numerous in numbers; their orbits unstable. So, many of them collided with others--one such collision created our moon. But, before a 1/2 billion years were through, the orbits stabilized and the number of planets was reduced to 9 (if you still count Pluto, which I do), and most of those planets had stable orbiting moons. Order from chaos was achieved.
After that, lots of things happened. Some of it is still unknown, but the little planet that zoomed around in an orbit 3 rocks from the sun spawned life. The things which creepeth and crawleth had begun to inhabit the earth.
The rest is history.