Secrets of Rapid Planet Formation: Protoplanetary Puzzles Solved at Hyper Speed

Researchers have developed a new model for planet formation that shows how disturbances in protoplanetary disks can quickly form gas giants. This process is more efficient than previously thought and aligns with recent observations of distant gas giants.

Our immediate cosmic neighborhood is our solar system. We know it well: the Sun at the center; then the rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars; and then the asteroid belt; followed by the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn; then the ice giants Uranus and Neptune; and finally the Kuiper belt with its comets.

But how well do we really know our home? Previous theories have assumed that giant planets are formed by collisions and accumulations of asteroid-like celestial bodies, so-called planetesimals, and the subsequent accretion of gas over the course of millions of years. However, these models explain neither the existence of gas giants located far from their stars nor the formation of Uranus and Neptune.

Innovative Planet Formation Model