# The Solar System: structural overview, origins and evolution

**Authors:** Sean N. Raymond  
**arXiv:** [2404.14982](https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14982)  
**Date:** 2024-04-23  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2404.14982v1/

## Key points

- The study of the origin and long-term evolution of the Solar System is a fundamental goal of planetary science and astrophysics.
- Empirical data such as meteorite measurements, observations of planet-forming disks around other stars, and exoplanets inform our understanding.
- Theoretical modeling and laboratory experiments are crucial in shaping our knowledge.
- Processes range from microns to gas giants within the gaseous planet-forming disk.
- Giant planets likely underwent large radial shifts during early evolution due to migration and dynamical instability.
- Understanding this dynamic phase is pivotal in shaping characteristics of rocky planets like Earth.
- Key steps in Solar System formation include Sun's birth cluster, transition from dust to planetesimals, growth and migration of gas giants, terrestrial planet formation, origin of Earth's water, Moon-forming impact.
- Discussions on asteroids, comets, Milankovitch Cycles, orbital chaos provide insights into Solar System's middle age and future.

## Summary

The study of the origin and long-term evolution of the Solar System is a fundamental goal of planetary science and astrophysics. This chapter delves into our current understanding of the key processes that shaped our planetary system, drawing on empirical data such as meteorite measurements, observations of planet-forming disks around other stars, and exoplanets. Theoretical modeling and laboratory experiments also play a crucial role in informing our understanding. The processes at play range from microns to gas giants, primarily taking place within the gaseous planet-forming disk through the growth of mountain-sized planetesimals and Moon- to Mars-sized planetary embryos. A significant shift in our understanding occurred with advances in exoplanet science, revealing that the giant planets likely underwent large radial shifts during their early evolution due to gas- or planetesimal-driven migration and dynamical instability. This early dynamic phase played a pivotal role in shaping the characteristics of rocky planets like Earth. As our Solar System is currently middle-aged, we can use astrophysical tools to forecast its eventual demise in the distant future. The chapter also explores key steps in Solar System formation, including the Sun's birth cluster, the transition from dust to planetesimals, orbital migration, growth and migration of gas giants, giant planet instability, formation of terrestrial planets, origin of Earth's water, and the Moon-forming impact. Additionally, discussions on asteroids and comets,Milankovitch Cycles and orbital chaos shed light on the Solar System's middle age and future. By examining these aspects comprehensively,

readers gain insights into the large-scale orbital structure of our Solar System,

key phases in planetary formation,

events that shaped it,

uncertainties that persist in our understanding of its origins,

present-day dynamics on million-year timescales,

as well as predictions about how and when it will eventually come to an end.