Planet formation far away from a small parent star is at odds with the conventional planet - making dogma.
Not exact matches
For Edward Thummes, who is doing a postdoc — his third — at University of Toronto in extrasolar
planet formation, science has been a waiting game so
far.
That implies that
planet formation in that disk was fairly
far along, in the stage that involves rocks at least the size of asteroids.
Still, the collisional avalanche remains the most likely explanation, at least so
far, says Zoe Leinhardt, a research fellow at the University of Bristol who studies
planet formation.
The research findings add
further support to the possibility water can be delivered to Earth - like
planets via such bodies to create a suitable environment for the
formation of life.
Theorists will have to refine their models of
planet formation, but will still have to explain how systems like our own ended up with giant
planets farther out and small
planets in closer orbits.
Based on these conclusions for Kepler - 34, it seems likely that all of the currently known circumbinary
planets have also migrated significantly from their
formation locations — with the possible exception of Kepler - 47 (AB) c which is
further away from the binary stars than any of the other circumbinary
planets.
If confirmed by
further research, the new study would challenge a theoretical model for atmosphere
formation in which Earth began with two reservoirs of solar gas captured during the
planet's
formation and youth — one surrounding the
planet, the other buried beneath the surface.
We've recently realized that
planets can migrate during solar system
formation, moving closer to or
farther away from their central star.
So, if there is a
planet in the gap and there is no dust larger than a grain of sand
farther out, we have provided a challenge for traditional
planet formation models.»
In all
planet formation scenarios, it's difficult to make a low - mass
planet far away from a low - mass star.»
Based on these conclusions for Kepler - 34, it seems likely that all of the currently known circumbinary
planets have also migrated significantly from their
formation locations - with the possible exception of Kepler - 47 (AB) c which is
further away from the binary stars than any of the other circumbinary
planets.
This is the first firm evidence of
planet formation found so
far from the central star in a protoplanetary disk.
Although credible models of
planet formation now exist,
further measurements of solar system bodies and extra-solar objects could offer insight to the origin of Earth and the solar system.