Which explanation of the solar system best fits the observations of the planets and how they orbit the sun Question 27 options: The gravity of a large, massive star passing the sun ripped off blobs of material from it that formed the planets. The planets formed at the center of a collapsing spinning cloud of gas and dust. The sun and planets formed from a collapsing spinning cloud of gas and dust. A comet hit the sun and sent off fragments that became the planets.