Scientists have long been unsure of the 'when' of planetary formation – but that question may have been answered
"Some white dwarfs are amazing laboratories, because their thin atmospheres are almost like celestial graveyards," said Bonsor.
So-called polluted white dwarfs contain lots of heavy elements – like magnesium, iron and calcium – and come from asteroids left over from planetary formation. Looking at those asteroid remnants, Bonsor said, gives astronomers a glimpse into the interior of asteroids, which helps understand how they were formed.
Such radioactive isotopes, Bonsor said, burn off in around a million years."In other words, if these asteroids were melted by something which only exists for a very brief time at the dawn of the planetary system, then the process of planet formation must kick off very quickly," Bonsor said.Earth is known as a differentiated planet, meaning it has distinct compositional layers.
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