What was the state of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young Sun approximately 4.6 billion years ago?
Answer
A vast, rotating pancake rich in silicates, metals, and ices.
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, the material that would form the solar system was organized into a protoplanetary disk. This structure is characterized as a vast, rotating structure shaped like a pancake enveloping the newly forming Sun. Crucially, this disk was not merely gas; it contained the raw chemical ingredients necessary for planetary construction, including condensed solids like silicates (rock), metals, and ices, which were distributed throughout according to temperature gradients established by the proximity to the central star.
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