Although the Universe was only two-thirds of its present age back when the Sun was first forming, things back then were already very similar to how they are today. The Milky Way appeared relatively…
This two-toned image shows an illustration of the protoplanetary disk around the young star FU Orionis, which was imaged multiple times by the Hubble Space Telescope but years apart. The disk has changed, indicating that it's entering a more advanced stage of evolution, as planets form and the material available for forming and growing them evaporates, sublimates, and is otherwise blown away. Planets and the central star are all expected to orbit and rotate in the same direction; only collisions and interactions should change that story. Our own Solar System likely had a similar history to the protoplanetary system illustrated here. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Member-only story What was it like when the Sun was born? It took 9.2 billion years of cosmic evolution before our Sun and Solar System even began to form. Such a small event has led to so much. Ethan Siegel · Follow Published in Starts With A Bang! · 11 min read · 1 day ago 1 day ago -- 1 Share Although the Universe was only two-thirds of its present age back when the Sun was first forming, things back then were already very similar to how they are…