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KUIPER BELT

New clues to planet formation

Nature Astronomy volume 3, pages 794–795 (2019)Cite this article

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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.

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Fig. 1: Formation of two prograde planetesimal binaries through the streaming instability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lund Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Anders Johansen

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  1. Anders Johansen
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Correspondence to Anders Johansen.

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Johansen, A. New clues to planet formation. Nat Astron 3, 794–795 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0855-3

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