An international team of scientists believe they have succeeded in finding fragments of long-extinct protoplanets. They are two asteroids whose orbits lie in the Main Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
The early Solar System was filled with “planetary embryos” — objects whose sizes ranged from the Moon to Mars. These embryos, representing an intermediate stage between planetesimals and full-fledged planets, played a key role in the formation of the latter. None of such embryos have survived to this day. But astronomers may well have found the remains of such objects. We are talking about asteroids (246) Asporina and (4125) Lew Allen.
In the course of their search, the scientists turned their attention to angrites. These are some of the oldest meteorites, formed in the first million years of the Solar System. They are characterized by olivine-bearing basaltic minerals and unique isotopic signatures and element ratios that indicate they could have formed only in the inner part of the Solar System.
Scientists have long hypothesized that angrites represent the remnants of an early planetary embryo. It was probably large enough to support magmatic activity, but its exact size remains a matter of debate. This object is believed to have been lost when it merged with other planetary embryos at the dawn of the Solar System.
In search of possible debris from this protoplanet, the researchers analyzed the spectra of 712 known asteroids and then compared them to the spectra of angrites. They were able to find similarities with the 50-kilometer asteroid Asporina and the 6-kilometer asteroid Lew Allen. If the researchers’ findings are correct, these asteroids could be some of the oldest remnants of early planetary embryos in the Solar System. However, because of the difference in their orbits, it is likely that they came from different parent bodies.
According to scientists, further research will help not only to clarify the origin of these asteroids, but also to deepen the understanding of the processes of formation and evolution of the Solar System. The discovery may also shed light on the role of asteroids in delivering material to forming planets, including Earth.
Earlier we reported how James Webb photographed a disk around a protostar with planets forming right now.
According to Space.com
