SCIENCE

A new theory on the formation of small planets, the study

Researchers at the University of Warwick (UK) have reportedly made a new discovery about the formation of small planets.

As stated on the university's website, the researchers studied the birth environment of planets, i.e. areas of gas and dust revolving around a central star, and from this they discovered a new method of planet formation not yet described in previous research.

The work was presented in the journal 'Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society'.

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A theory could explain the formation of small planets
Researchers at the University of Warwick (UK) have reportedly made a new discovery about the formation of small planets. As stated on the university's website, the researchers studied the birth environment of planets, i.e. areas of gas and dust revolving around a central star, and from this they discovered a new method of planet formation not yet described in previous research. The work was submitted to the journal 'Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society'.
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What happens inside the protoplanetary disk.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have shown how two large planets within the protoplanetary disc (the areas of gas and dust revolving around a central star) could potentially give rise to a smaller planet, which the researchers called 'sandwich planet formation'.
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Small planets would be generated from large planets
The explanation for this would be attributable to the fact that the two original large planets would restrict the flow of dust inwards, causing the amount of dust gathering between them to be smaller than if no outer planet were present. If that dust eventually came together to form a planet, then the central planet created would be smaller than the two outer planets, much like the filling of a sandwich.
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The example of Mars and Uranus
Although the study requires more research in the field, according to the authors, this theory could offer a possible explanation for the formation of small planets. Such as Mars and Uranus, each surrounded by larger planets.
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A first step toward further discoveries
According to Professor Farzana Meru, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick: "Over the past decade, observations have revealed that there are rings and gaps in protoplanetary disks. The gaps are where we expect planets to be, and we know from theoretical work that planets cause dust rings to form just outside them. What exactly is going on in those rings poses an important question to astronomers around the world'.
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