Most binary Kuiper belt objects orbit each other in the same direction as their orbit around the Sun. New computer simulations show that such orbits may be a fingerprint of planetesimal formation from collapsing clumps of pebbles.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Morbidelli, A., Bottke, W. F., Nesvorný, D. & Levison, H. F. Icarus 204, 558–573 (2009).
Johansen, A., Mac Low, M.-M., Lacerda, P. & Bizzarro, M. Sci. Adv. 1, 1500109 (2015).
Simon, J., Armitage, P. J., Youdin, A. N. & Li, R. Astrophys. J. Lett. 847, L12 (2017).
Nesvorný, D., Li, R., Youdin, A. N., Simon, J. B. & Grundy, W. M. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0806-z (2019).
Brown, M. E. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 40, 467–494 (2012).
Malhotra, R. Nature 365, 819–821 (1993).
Fraser, W. C., Brown, M. E., Morbidelli, A., Parker, A. & Batygin, K. Astrophys. J. 782, 100 (2014).
Johansen, A. et al. in Protostars and Planets VI (eds Beuther, H., Klessen, R. S., Dullemond, C. P. & Henning, T.) 547–570 (Univ. Arizona Press, 2014).
Youdin, A. N. & Goodman, J. Astrophys. J. 620, 459–469 (2005).
Johansen, A. & Youdin, A. N. Astrophys. J. 662, 627–641 (2007).
Noll, K. S., Grundy, W. M., Stephens, D. C., Levison, H. F. & Kern, S. D. Icarus 194, 758–768 (2008).
Thirouin, A. & Sheppard, S. S. Astron. J. 157, 228 (2019).
Grundy, W. M. et al. Icarus https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.03.035 (2019).
Blum, J. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 469, S755–S773 (2017).
Stern, S. A. et al. Science 364, eaaw9771 (2019).
Teyssier, R. Astron. Astrophys. 385, 337–364 (2002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johansen, A. New clues to planet formation. Nat Astron 3, 794–795 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0855-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0855-3