Probing the solar system’s prenatal historyScience 8 August 2014This is an overview and intro

Probing the solar system’s prenatal history
Science 8 August 2014
This is an overview and intro to Maria Lugaro et al, “Stellar origin of the ¹⁸²Hf cosmochronometer and the presolar history of solar system matter” in Science 8 August 2014: Vol. 345 no. 6197 pp. 650-653 [not open access]

• The Sun’s age (T0) is inferred from the most accurate estimate for condensation of the solar system’s first solids, which occurred 4567.3 ± 0.16 million years ago (Ma).
• The epoch before the birth of the Sun reflects progressive isolation of the matter precursor to the solar system from the chemically evolving galaxy.
• This process leads to the formation of the giant molecular cloud from which a dense fragment collapsed to form the Sun and planets.
• The current architecture of the inner solar system was largely established within 100 million years of solar system formation.

IMAGE CREDIT: (SUPERNOVA) THINKSTOCK; (AGB STAR) THINKSTOCK; (SOLAR SYSTEM) DAVID SZABO/THINKSTOCK