Spinning Secrets of Space: How Cosmic Whirlpools Might Build Planets
For decades, astronomers have struggled to understand a simple but essential question: How do planets begin? We know that planets form from disks of gas and dust that swirl around young stars. These disks—called protoplanetary disks—are like cosmic nurseries for planets. But one of the biggest mysteries has been how tiny dust particles turn into larger building blocks of planets, called planetesimals, which are usually around 100 kilometers wide.