Scientists have discovered that the early Solar System had a donut-like shape before flattening into a disk.
This conclusion comes from studying iron meteorites from the outer Solar System, suggesting that the initial distribution of dust and rocks was more like a donut than a pancake.
Solar Material Formed Near Sun
According to Bidong Zhang, the composition of outer Solar System asteroids suggests a toroidal structure during the early stages of the Solar System’s formation.
The iron meteorites from the outer Solar System contain higher levels of refractory metals like platinum and iridium, which form in hot environments near a star.
Scientists suggest these meteorites originated in the outer Solar System, implying they initially formed close to the Sun and later migrated outward as the protoplanetary disk expanded.
Zhang’s team found that such migration is best explained by a toroidal disk, which would have facilitated the movement of these metal-rich objects to the outer regions of the Solar System.
