THE question of the origin of the solar system is one ... of the present state of the system, but none of them is wholly satisfactory. These are the Nebular Hypothesis of Laplace, the Planetesimal ...

The tale of our sun may begin with another star: a predecessor whose fiery death brought about the birth of our solar system.

"This nebular field disappeared around 3 to 4 million years after the solar system's formation, and we are fascinated with how it played a role in early planetary formation," Mansbach says.