Research report 2012 - Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
Cradle of the sun
Authors
Pfalzner, Susanne
Departments
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn
Summary
The Sun formed about 4.6 billion years ago and is located today in a region of a low stellar density. Susanne Pfalzner and her team investigate whether the Sun formed in a similar environment or not. They find several clues that the Sun was born in close proximity of other stars that influenced the nascent planetary system. By combining theory and observation the birth environment of the Solar system can be surprisingly well characterized.