the sun rising over the earth from space

Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago through a process called accretion, where dust and gas in the solar nebula—the leftover material from the formation of the Sun—gradually clumped together due to gravity. Here's a simplified timeline of how Earth formed:1. Solar Nebula FormationA giant cloud of gas and dust collapsed under its own gravity, forming the Sun at its center.The remaining material flattened into a rotating disk, known as the solar nebula.2. Planetesimal FormationSmall particles of dust and ice collided and stuck together, forming larger clumps called planetesimals.Over time, these planetesimals grew in size through collisions and gravitational attraction.3. Proto-Earth FormationAs planetesimals merged, they formed a larger body called a protoplanet.Early Earth was molten due to intense heat from collisions, radioactive decay, and gravitational compression.4. DifferentiationDenser materials, like iron and nickel, sank to form Earth's core.Lighter materials rose to form the mantle and crust, cr