How Pebbles Form Planets
SMRTR summary
Static electricity may be key to planet formation, a new study in Nature Astronomy suggests. Researchers found that electrostatic charges enable dust particles in protoplanetary disks to clump into "pebbles" large enough to overcome the "bouncing barrier" and form planets. Experiments in near-weightless conditions showed charged particles forming aggregates up to an inch long, while uncharged particles didn't clump. This discovery helps explain how cosmic dust can grow into rocky planets.
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