Sun

Milankovitch cycles are long-term, cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun and axial tilt that alter the amount of solar energy reaching the planet, influencing long-term climate patterns like ice ages, named after Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković. The three main cycles are: Eccentricity (shape of orbit, ~100,000 yrs), Obliquity/Axial Tilt (angle of tilt, ~41,000 … Read more

A giant cloud of interstellar gas and dust (the solar nebula) collapsed under its own gravity. As it collapsed, it spun faster and flattened into a disk, with most mass concentrating in the center. The central mass became so hot and dense that nuclear fusion of hydrogen began, marking the Sun’s birth as a star. … Read more