2010/06/11 by Harold F. Levison, Martin J. Duncan, Ramon Brasser +1 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1187535
openalex publication_date 2010/06/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Out of the Oort Cloud Long-period comets originate from the Oort cloud, a vast reservoir of icy bodies that surrounds the solar system. These bodies are thought to be remnants from the formation of the solar system. But did they all form in the Sun's protoplanetary disk, or could they have been generated in the protoplanetary disks of other stars in the cluster where the Sun probably formed? Levison et al. (p. 187 , published online 10 June) used detailed numerical simulations to investigate what fraction of comets might transfer from the outer reaches of one stellar system to another. The simulations suggest that a substantial number of comets can be captured through this mechanism, which may explain why the number of bodies in the Oort cloud is larger than models predict.