Planet Formation Could Lie In Stellar Storms Rather Than Gravitational Instability
Sunday, December 14, 2008 - 18:21
in Astronomy & Space
New research suggests that turbulence plays a critical role in creating ripe conditions for the birth of planets. The study challenges the prevailing theory of planet formation. Using three-dimensional simulations of the dust and gas that orbits young stars, the study demonstrates that turbulence is a significant obstacle to gravitational instability, the process that scientists have used since the 1970s to explain the early stage of planet formation.
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