Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago from swirling dust and rocks left over from the birth of our Sun.

Imagine a giant cloud of dust and gas collapsing in space. This collapse formed our Sun. The leftover scraps swirled around the young star, crashing into each other and sticking together like giant snowballs. Over millions of years, these rocky clumps grew larger and larger until they became the rocky planets we know today, including Earth. It was a violent time filled with constant space collisions.