The Birth Environment of the Solar System

TL;DR

This paper reviews current knowledge about the Sun's birth environment, analyzing how different star-forming regions in the galaxy influence star and planet formation, and constrains the properties of the solar birth cluster.

Contribution

It synthesizes constraints from Solar System properties and galactic star-forming environments to propose scenarios for the Sun's birth cluster, highlighting uncertainties.

Findings

Solar System properties constrain birth environment

Galactic star-forming environments influence planetary formation

Possible solar birth clusters are proposed with uncertainties

Abstract

This paper reviews our current understanding of the possible birth environments of our Solar System. Since most stars form within groups and clusters, the question becomes one of determining the nature of the birth aggregate of the Sun. This discussion starts by reviewing Solar System properties that provide constraints on our environmental history. We then outline the range of star-forming environments that are available in the Galaxy, and discuss how they affect star and planet formation. The nature of the solar birth cluster is constrained by many physical considerations, including radiation fields provided by the background environment, dynamical scattering interactions, and by the necessity of producing the short-lived radioactive nuclear species inferred from meteoritic measurements. Working scenarios for the solar birth aggregate can be constructed, as discussed herein, although significant uncertainties remain.