[Physics] Can a planet form before the parent star ignites

astrophysicsplanetssolar systemstarsstellar-evolution

I'm unable to find an answer to my questions via my searches. This questions pertains to the timeline of a star system creation.

My question:

During the creation of a star system, can satellite planets form before the star has ignited and begun to burn?

In more detail, I understand the basic creation of a star, with the gravitational collapse of a large cloud, leading eventually to fusion. Is this transition from protostar to maturity (or to where "ignition" occurs) long enough that planets have already started to form, even in a primitive state (just a big rock)? Or has the star long since been burning when planets finally start to form?

Best Answer

This should be physically possible, it even might happen in the universe right now.

The creation of a stellar system starts with a cloud of matter. This cloud will collapse and form some kind of thing we later might call a star. You might also call this a planet - if the mass is not enough to create a pressure which is high enough to make an initial fusion, you will have a brown dwarf. Also Jupiter is a planet which is a "too light" star.

In my opinion, nothing speaks against the possibility, that maybe two "clusters" forming at the same time. Or a smaller cluster forms first and a bigger - which becomes the star later - forms second.

The point here is more, what you call a planet? Is the sun a planet? Would be Jupiter a planet, if it shines like a star? Maybe you can call the sun a planet, if it rotates around some bigger mass? There might be some sort of definition to be done for this, I think.