CB Chondrite (IMAGE)

Brown University

CB Chondrite

Caption

Chondrules -- spherical beads of previously molten material -- found in CB chondrites were formed by ultra-high-speed collisions. New research suggests that the presence of the planet Jupiter near the asteroid belt could create the right conditions for these impacts. That helps constrain the timing for Jupiter's formation and migration. The study suggests that Jupiter must have been at full size when the chondrules formed, which was about 5 million years after the first solar system solids appeared.

Credit

Alexander Krot, University of Hawai'i Manoa

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