The earliest stages of planet formation
Monday, March 26, 2012 - 07:02
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Small dust particles in a disk of gas around a young star, according to current models, gradually coagulate during the first million years until kilometer-sized objects are formed. These in turn coalesce and grow into planets. The processes at work depend in part on the chemical composition of the dust grains and how their sizes, shapes, and structures evolve.