What is a solar nebula and how does it relate to the formation of earth?

A solar nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space that serves as the precursor to star and planet formation. About 4.6 billion years ago, our solar nebula collapsed under gravity, leading to the formation of the Sun at its center and the surrounding protoplanetary disk. Within this disk, particles collided and coalesced to form planetesimals, which eventually merged to create the planets, including Earth. Thus, the solar nebula is fundamental to understanding how Earth and the other planets in our solar system formed.