Formation of a solar system (slow)

www.greenleaf.dk/projects

Faster version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9t8g8GOK0g

A Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics SPH simulation of the formation of a solar system or a planetary system.

The video is in slow motion. The actual calculations were at 31 FPS for 3000 particles.

Initially the particles have a turbulent position and velocity and a somewhat high concentration near the center. This high density generates high presure which explodes the system outwards.

In the center there is a gravity source which pulls the particles back in and eventualy a large central body and a number of smaller orbiting bodies forms.

The interesting thing is that as the larger of the orbiting bodies (planets or moons depending on your scale) will start to get a locked rotation (tidal lock) meaning that they will keep one side towards the center of rotation and that their rotational period is equal to their orbiting period. Just as our own moon.
This can be seen from the 5 minute mark.

As the larger orbiting body starts to grow in size, it will fall inside the Roche Limit and it will break up.
The breakup happens arround 8 minutes in.
The reason it breaks up it in few words that the different parts of the body wants to rotate at different velocities arround the central body. The larger the orbiting body becomes, the larger the desired velocity difference is.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• SPH
• smoothed
• particle
• hydrodynamics
• astronomy
• physics
• simulation
• sun
• planet
• moon

[joetaicoon]

Thanks, but please do note that this is in no way an accurate simulation, but rather an adaption of a fluid simulation with surface tension.

Name is perhaps ill chosen,

[Scottymatic]

Excellent simulation, thanks for sharing it with the world.