What concept best frames the historical process of "clearing the neighborhood" rather than a single instantaneous event?
Answer
Achieved gravitational maturity of the orbital zone.
While the term 'cleared' suggests a sudden removal of obstacles, the reality of orbital dominance is understood as a cumulative, historical process. The concept of 'achieved gravitational maturity' better describes this state. It signifies that over the vast timescale of the solar system's history, the massive body has exerted sufficient gravitational influence to organize its orbital zone, leading to a stable arrangement where its mass overwhelmingly dictates the dynamics, even if a few smaller, gravitationally captured bodies remain.
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