planetesimal formation tagged posts

Large Mound Structures on Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth may have Common Origin

Courtesy of SwRI The large mound structures that dominate one of the lobes of the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin, according to a new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern.

These ‘Building blocks’ of this Kuiper belt object may point to key details of streaming instability model of planetesimal formation. A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern posits that the large, approximately 5-kilometer-long mounds that dominate the appearance of the larger lobe of the pristine Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin...

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