The Birth of the Solar System

Witness the dramatic collisions that shaped the planets and moons!

English script adaptation and
soundtrack by Loch Ness Productions

How did our solar system originate? What chain of events led to its creation? Just as detectives look for traces of evidence to solve a mystery, astronomers analyze the evidence that points to the formation of the Sun and planets. In particular, they study the influence that impacts and collisions had on the worlds of the solar system. The most dramatic evidence for this collisional history of solar system evolution are the impact craters found on almost all the bodies in the solar system, including Earth. These surface scars tell us the formation history of planets, moons, and rings was violent. Yet today, we live in a relatively stable solar system, made possible by the shattering collisions that shaped our worlds.

This program gives us a unique look at the formation of the solar system by tracing the role that collisions played throughout its history. Beginning with the condensation of the initial cloud of gas and cosmic dust, we explore the history of planetary formation and the mechanism of accretion that played an important role in shaping the worlds of the solar system.

The Birth of the Solar System combines the videography and animation created by Albedo Fulldome of Barcelona (who originally produced the show in Spanish) with the soundtrack expertise of Loch Ness Productions. This updated 2010 version features a revised script by Carolyn Collins Petersen, plus music from the vast resources of the original and popular planetarium space music library created by Mark C. Petersen. Mark also narrates the show and produced the soundtrack.

Details...

Running time: 21:12
Suitable for: Family audiences
Information about: Solar System
Year of production: 2008; LNP version 2010

Translations...

Spanish
Catalan
Italian
Russian
Brazilian Portuguese

Availability and pricing for these vary. Please contact us for details.

Don't see the language you want? Let's work together with the producer to create it. Read more here!

Science Education Standards info...

The Birth of the Solar System is a unique look at the formation of the Sun and planets, and the resulting history of the solar system. It brings particular focus onto the role that collisions have played throughout the formational history of the Sun and planets. It takes viewers to places in the solar system to study the aftermath of collisions, and describes how the process of accretion shaped planets and how continuing impacts change their surfaces. These concepts are woven together into a documentary journey and help relate the information presented in the show to the lives of students, families, and the general public.

Show content is relevant in the following subject areas:

Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science Standards

objects in the sky: Sun, Moon, planets, moons, rings, comet nuclei, asteroids
the role of accretion and impacts in solar system history
properties of motion in space
properties of solar system objects
motions and forces
transfer of energy

Science as Inquiry

Understanding the concepts behind the formation and evolution of the Sun and solar system objects

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

History of the solar system and Earth's place in it
early maps of the sky
History of the solar system and Earth's place in it
How we know what we know about the solar system's formation

This show adheres to principles put forth in the National Academy of Sciences' Education Standards published in 1996. For more details, visit the NAS Standards Web site.

Promo downloads...

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Frames from the show; click for enlargement