Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.
Sweet new research suggests that newly forming planets may have a flattened shape similar to that of a popular British candy. "We have been studying planet formation for a long time, but never before had we thought to check the shape of the planets as they form in the simulations.
We had always assumed that they were spherical," said team member Dimitris Stamatellos, an astrophysicist at UCLan."We were very surprised that they turned out to be oblate spheroids, pretty similar to Smarties!" Readers outside the U.K. and Europe may not be familiar with Smarties — this version, at least. European Smarties are oblate spheroid-shaped disks of chocolate covered with a colorful hard candy shell that are manufactured by Nestle and sold in hexagonal cardboard tubes. have been discovered to date, astronomers still don't fully understand in detail the sequence of events that marks their birth and early evolution. The new research could shed more light on that process. . They focused on the initial shapes of such planets and how these could facilitate the growth of planetary seeds, resulting inThe standard theory of planet formation suggests that this growth happens gradually as dust particles stick together to form progressively larger and larger objects over long periods of time. This is referred to as"Alternatively, planet birth could happen over shorter timescales when large rotating protoplanetary discs around young stars break into pieces — the"disk instability" method. The team's model seems to lend more credibility to this less favored theory, supporting rapid planet formation via “This theory is appealing due to the fact that large planets can form very quickly at large distances from their host star, explaining some exoplanet observations," said UCLan's Adam Fenton. The team's model suggested that newly forming planets take the shape of oblate spheroids because, as material falls onto them, it goes mainly to their poles.is directed"face on" to an exoplanet, then the planet will appear to have a traditional round shape; when seen on edge, however, a young planet would show its true Smartie-like shape and thus confirm if the team's model is right. Observations of young planets, often still shrouded in gas and dust, have only recently become possible with telescopes such as theThe team will now continue to investigate the formation of planets using an improved computer model. They hope to discover the role the environment around a planet plays in influencing its formation and shape. to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.