What physical phenomenon caused the solar nebula to flatten into a spinning disk?
Answer
Rotation pushing material outward in the equatorial plane
Although gravity exerted a force pulling all material toward the common center of mass, the rotation of the cloud generated an opposing dynamic. This angular momentum forced material to be pushed outward, specifically along the equatorial plane of the spinning mass. The combination of the inward gravitational pull and the outward rotational force effectively flattened the initial, somewhat spherical cloud into a disk-like structure. This shape is often described as a spinning pancake and is responsible for why the planets in our solar system orbit in roughly the same plane today.
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