Planet formation
Pebble Accretion
A mechanism that helps solve core accretion's timing problem: centimetre-sized 'pebbles' drifting inward through the disk are efficiently swept up by a growing embryo, letting cores reach giant-planet mass far faster than by collisions of larger bodies alone. It has become a central ingredient in modern planet-formation theory.
Highlights
- ›Sweeping up drifting pebbles to build cores quickly
Methods, worlds & facilities
Knowledge connections
- Associated withCore Accretion
- Associated withProtoplanetary Disks
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.