Astronomy Cast Ep. 700: The Things We Got Wrong
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Dec 4, 2023 Astronomers admit when they were wrong, discussing planetary formation, new models for exoplanets, faster planet formation, merging dwarf and giant galaxies, limitations of data, evolving understanding of gravity and dark matter, mistakes with waves and compact objects.
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Planetary Formation Is Dynamic
- Early planet-formation models assumed planets formed and stayed where they formed in a slowly evolving disk.
- Discoveries of exoplanets like hot Jupiters forced models to include rapid migration and dynamical rearrangement.
Migration Explains Unexpected Worlds
- The discovery of hot Jupiters showed planets can migrate dramatically after formation.
- Planetary migration models, like the Nice model, help explain Solar System architecture and exoplanet variety.
Nice Model Is Incomplete
- The Nice model explains some features but fails to reproduce all small-body populations and mass distributions.
- Additional mechanisms are needed to fully account for Trojans and Kuiper belt objects.