From the December 2008 issue

How protoplanets create gaps in dusty disks

Watch as a new planet forms and cuts a gap in the dusty disk of its birth. Understanding the details of this process could help explain the evolution of solar systems.
By | Published: December 29, 2008 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
Researcher Phil Armitage of the University of Colorado at Boulder created a computer model to simulate how a small gas planet forms in the disk of dust and gas around a young sun, clearing a gap in the process.