What characteristic was crucial for collisions between orbiting planetesimals to facilitate growth rather than destruction?
Answer
They needed to be sticky or gently inelastic
The success of planetary formation via this route hinges on the nature of the physical interactions between the accumulating planetesimals. If collisions were entirely destructive, shattering the growing bodies back into microscopic debris, growth would cease. Therefore, the collisions needed a degree of 'stickiness' or inelasticity, allowing some material to merge upon impact due to molecular forces or slight gravitational capture, resulting in a slightly larger object. This small gain allowed gravity to eventually take over more effectively as objects scaled up.
Related Questions
What is the formal name often used for what is commonly called the planetesimal theory?Which two key figures are attributed with the development of the detailed mechanism known as the Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis?What critical external event did the Chamberlin-Moulton formulation hypothesize as the catalyst to source the initial material for planet formation?In the Chamberlin-Moulton view, what fundamental force provided the initial impetus for ejecting material from the Sun to form planetary precursors?What process is defined as the mechanism of building up larger bodies from the fundamental building blocks called planetesimals?What characteristic was crucial for collisions between orbiting planetesimals to facilitate growth rather than destruction?Which issue concerning the solar system's distribution of momentum did the Chamberlin-Moulton model successfully address that troubled the classical Nebular Hypothesis?What compositional difference exists between planetesimals forming close to the Sun versus those forming beyond the 'frost line'?In the provided stages of growth, what dominant process characterized Stage 4, involving objects ranging from Moon-sized to Planet-sized?What is the current scientific consensus regarding the source of initial planetesimal material compared to the original Chamberlin-Moulton trigger event?