Formation of the Solar System

Normal timeline
4.6 billion years ago: The Solar System forms from a giant cloud of gas and dust, known as the solar nebula. The nebula collapses due to its own gravity and forms a spinning disk.

4.5 billion years ago: The central part of the disk becomes the Sun. The remaining material in the disk clumps together to form the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

4.4 billion years ago: The planetesimal hypothesis suggests that small, rocky bodies collided and formed larger planets, leading to the formation of the inner rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

4.1 billion years ago: The Late Heavy Bombardment: Large numbers of asteroids and comets pummel the inner Solar System, leaving craters on the Moon and other planets.

3.8 billion years ago: Life on Earth may have started to emerge.

3.5 billion years ago: Photosynthetic organisms evolve on Earth, leading to the oxygenation of the atmosphere.

2.5 billion years ago: The first multicellular organisms appear on Earth.

542 million years ago: The Cambrian Explosion: A burst of evolutionary activity leads to the rapid diversification of animal life on Earth.

251 million years ago: The largest mass extinction in Earth's history wipes out 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial species, including the dinosaurs.

4.6 billion years ago to present: The Sun has been burning steadily, providing energy to the Solar System.

4.5 billion years ago to present: The Solar System continues to evolve and change, with asteroids and comets colliding with planets, moons, and each other. The outer gas giants and their moons continue to be shaped by their strong gravity and magnetic fields.

21st century: Exploration of the Solar System continues, with robotic missions to Mars, Saturn, and beyond, and the possibility of manned missions to Mars in the future.

Grand Tack without years

 * 1) Jupiter and Saturn formed closer to the Sun than their current positions, within a few astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.
 * 2) As the gas and dust in the early Solar System began to dissipate, Jupiter and Saturn migrated inward due to interactions with the leftover material.
 * 3) The gas giants eventually encountered a region of the disk with a higher density of gas and dust, causing them to stop migrating and move away from the Sun.
 * 4) During this process, known as the "Grand Tack," Jupiter and Saturn scattered and ejected a large number of planetesimals out of the inner Solar System.
 * 5) The scattering of planetesimals created gaps in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, as well as groups of asteroids known as the Trojans, which orbit in Jupiter's Lagrangian points.
 * 6) The Grand Tack also disrupted the orbits of the remaining planetesimals, which collided with each other and either merged to form larger objects or were ejected from the Solar System.
 * 7) The late heavy bombardment period of the inner Solar System, characterized by a large number of impact craters on the Moon and other planets, may have been caused by the leftover planetesimals that were scattered and disrupted during the Grand Tack.

Grand Tack with years

 * 1) ~4.6 billion years ago: The Solar System forms from a giant cloud of gas and dust, known as the solar nebula.
 * 2) ~4.5 billion years ago: Jupiter and Saturn form closer to the Sun than their current positions, within a few astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.
 * 3) ~4.4 billion years ago: The gas and dust in the early Solar System begins to dissipate, and Jupiter and Saturn start to migrate inward due to interactions with the leftover material.
 * 4) ~4 billion years ago: Jupiter and Saturn encounter a region of the disk with a higher density of gas and dust, causing them to stop migrating inward and move away from the Sun.
 * 5) ~3.9 billion years ago: During the "Grand Tack," Jupiter and Saturn scatter and eject a large number of planetesimals out of the inner Solar System, disrupting the orbits of the remaining planetesimals.
 * 6) ~3.5 billion years ago: Life on Earth may have started to emerge.
 * 7) ~2.5 billion years ago: The first multicellular organisms appear on Earth.
 * 8) ~542 million years ago: The Cambrian Explosion: A burst of evolutionary activity leads to the rapid diversification of animal life on Earth.
 * 9) ~251 million years ago: The largest mass extinction in Earth's history wipes out 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial species, including the dinosaurs.
 * 10) Present day: The Solar System continues to evolve and change, with asteroids and comets colliding with planets, moons, and each other, and ongoing exploration of the Solar System by robotic missions.