What is the typical size range defining a planetesimal?
Answer
About a kilometer up to several hundred kilometers across.
A planetesimal represents a crucial intermediate stage in solar system formation, situated between fine dust and fully formed planets. The general definition established for these bodies specifies their size range to be substantial, typically commencing at approximately one kilometer in diameter and extending upwards to several hundred kilometers across. Objects smaller than this are usually classified as pebbles or macroscopic particles, which rely on non-gravitational forces for initial sticking. Objects larger than this size transition into a regime where their own gravity dictates subsequent rapid accretion, moving toward planetary core formation.
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