Nice model
astronomy
Quick Summary
Learn more about the Nice model of solar system evolution and how samples brought back from the Moon fit within it
A discussion of the Nice model (named for Nice, France) of the formation of the orbital structure of the outer planets and the Kuiper belt. The Nice model also accounts for the age of some Moon rocks.
The Nice Model is a theory about the formation of our solar system. It suggests that the four giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—initially orbited closer to the Sun than they do today. These planets were in specific orbital resonances with each other and a disk of leftover bodies called planetesimals. Gravitational interactions caused the planets to migrate outward to their current positions, leading to events like the Late Heavy Bombardment on the inner planets and the formation of the Kuiper belt.1
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