SPRING WISRD MAGAZINE, VOL 6, ISSUE 2

became at tached to the rocky core by gravity and, hence, formed the Gas Giants. All of this leads up to the Solar System today consist ing of an init ial lineup of terrestr ial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), a comfortable gap with the asteroid belt followed by the lovely gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), a beaut iful Kuiper belt , and its dwarf planet buddies (including Pluto), and, finally, a gargantuan Oort cloud stretching a

lightyear in every direct ion. Since the Solar System?s creat ion all the way back in the molecular cloud, it has been moving through the universe. Current ly, its trajectory is taking us toward the star Vega in the constellat ion Lyra, but unt il we reach there it is nice to know a lit t le more about our so-called ?Cosmic Neighborhood.?

Image of Vega

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