Quick answer · Updated May 2026
How old is the solar system?
The solar system is approximately 4.6 billion years old. This age is calculated from radiometric dating of the oldest meteorites, the Sun's position in the main-sequence stage of stellar evolution, and the oldest lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions. The Sun and the planets all formed within a relatively short window of about 100 million years from the same protoplanetary disc.
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- The oldest meteorites — calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions from carbonaceous chondrites — date to 4.567 billion years.
- Earth itself dates to about 4.54 billion years; the Moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a giant impact.
- The Sun has another roughly 5 billion years on the main sequence before it becomes a red giant.
- The Milky Way galaxy is older — about 13.6 billion years, almost as old as the universe (13.8 billion years).
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