Space & Astronomy
Mars thought to be smaller than it should be
By
T.K. RandallFebruary 18, 2011 ·
13 comments
Image Credit: NASA
Simulations of the solar system's formation have indicated that Mars should be larger than it is.
Planetary scientists believe that Mars should be 5-10 times its current size, one possible theory is that Mars migrated away from planet-forming materials at some point during its formation. "Everyone who does simulations of how you form terrestrial planets always ends up with a Mars that is 5-10 times bigger than it is in real life," says Dr. David Minton.
"According to the model, planetesimals likely also caused the migration of the planets, too. The planets formed from a giant disk of gas, dust, rocky debris and ice surrounding the early Sun. Debris coalesced to form bigger planet-sized objects, and simulations shows that bigger planet-sized object embedded in a disk of smaller objects will migrate as a result of angular momentum and energy conservation as the planets scatter the planetesimals they encounter. "
Source:
Universe Today |
Comments (13)
Tags:
Please Login or Register to post a comment.