Late Heavy Bombardment

Okay kiddo, do you know what space is? Great! So a long time ago, around four and a half billion years ago, our solar system was forming. This was a time when the sun, our star, was just a baby. The planets were also forming around the sun.

But, during this time, something big happened. It's called the late heavy bombardment. It was a time when the young planets, including Earth, were hit with a lot of rocks, asteroids, and comets. It was like a big, cosmic shooting gallery!

Scientists think that the late heavy bombardment lasted for about 100 million years. During this time, the planets were constantly bombarded with objects flying through space. Some objects were as small as dust, while others were as big as mountains.

These impacts were so powerful that they created huge craters on the surfaces of the planets. Some of these craters are still visible on the moon today!

So, why did this happen? Scientists aren't exactly sure, kiddo, but they have a few ideas. One theory is that the late heavy bombardment was caused by Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter's strong gravity may have sent a bunch of space rocks flying towards the inner planets.

Another theory is that the late heavy bombardment was caused by a rogue planet or asteroid belt that collided with our solar system. Whatever the reason, the late heavy bombardment was a big event in the history of our solar system!

Today, the late heavy bombardment is over. The planets are still being hit by space rocks, but not nearly as much as they were back then. So, the next time you look up at the stars, remember that the beautiful night sky holds some pretty big secrets about the universe!