Scientists have linked the appearance of asteroids with the formation of moons of planets
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- Scientists have linked the appearance of asteroids with the formation of moons of planets
A group of scientists led by the Southwest Research Institute has proposed a solution to the long-standing mystery of the origin of chondrites, the most common type of meteorites. The study explains how tiny spherical grains of minerals were formed and preserved inside the parent bodies of these space objects. This was reported on July 8 by the Science X news portal.
Chondrites are ancient bodies orbiting the Sun, and meteorite-chondrites are their rocky fragments falling to Earth. They consist of chondrules, microscopic, once—molten droplets of rock enclosed in a fine-grained matrix.
According to the results of computer modeling, the formation process began at the final stages of the creation of terrestrial planets, when large celestial bodies the size of the Moon or Mars collided with each other. Such impacts allegedly generated emissions of molten and solid material, which remained gravitationally bound and formed dense rotating disks around the affected embryo planets.
Hal Levison, lead author of the study
The disk orbits a growing protoplanetary embryo, accumulating material and forming asteroid-sized moons. This process is similar to the formation of the moons of Mars — Phobos and Deimos. The asteroid-sized moons that formed are almost entirely made up of material from the initial collision, and are comparable in size and composition to chondrites.
The researchers found that over time, some of these satellites were ejected from their orbits under the influence of dynamic forces and moved into independent orbits around the Sun. Later, they became sources of meteorites that are found on Earth.
Kevin Walsh, co—author of the study, emphasized that chondrites are not random debris left over from the solar nebula. Another member of the scientific group, Rogerio Deyenno, added that these objects are "escaped satellites" that contain a detailed chronicle of the turbulent processes that formed the planets of the terrestrial group.
Online edition Space.com On July 6, it was reported that it was possible to observe the asteroid Apophis approaching the Earth. According to the publication, about 90% of the world's population will be able to see the celestial body on April 13, 2029. At the same time, it was clarified that the actual success of the observation will depend more on terrestrial factors, including clouds and the degree of light pollution.
Leonid Elenin, a researcher at the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized on July 9 that residents of the Far East will be able to see Apophis approaching the Earth with the naked eye.
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