Giant impacts phase of planetary formation

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/giant-impacts-phase-of-planetary-formation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the formation epoch?The terminal phase of planetary accretion, characterized by high-energy collisions
2. What is the dominant mechanism?Gravitational interactions leading to the merger or disruption of large protoplanets
3. What are giant impacts?Giant impacts are big crashes between growing planets that release a lot of energy and can melt their interiors.
4. Why do planets collide during the giant impacts phase?During this phase, the planets’ gravity changes their orbits, making them bump into each other instead of just gathering dust.

Protoplanetary Disk: A circumstellar disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a young, newly formed star from which planets may eventually form.
Planetesimals: Solid bodies, ranging from meters to kilometers in diameter, that are the building blocks of planets.
Protoplanets: Larger bodies, comparable in size to the Moon or Mars, formed by the accretion of planetesimals, which eventually evolve into planets.
Internal Differentiation: The process by which a planet separates into layers of different density, typically with a metallic core and a rocky mantle.