Pebble-cloud collapse may forge Arrokoth’s snowman shape
TL;DR
New computer simulations show that gentle gravitational collapse of pebble clouds in the early solar system can produce double-lobed, snowman‑like bodies such as Arrokoth, via two small planetesimals merging at about 5 meters per second to form a contact binary. The results support a gentle formation path for Kuiper belt objects, though the model predicts about 4% of objects form this way, while telescopic surveys suggest higher fractions, implying other formation routes may also contribute.
- Simulations shed light on how snowman-shaped body in Kuiper belt may have formed The Guardian
- The Kuiper Belt is packed with weird peanut-shaped objects. Astronomers think they know why Scientific American
- Why some objects in space look like snowmen: Gravitational collapse may shed light on contact binaries Phys.org
- NASA’s Snowman Discovery Just Got a Simple Explanation SciTechDaily
- Why some objects in space look like snowmen The Royal Astronomical Society
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on The Guardian