Unraveling the Origins of Arrokoth's Mysterious Mounds in the Kuiper Belt

A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) suggests that the large mound structures on the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth may have a common origin, providing insights into planetesimal formation. These mounds, identified during NASA's New Horizons flyby in 2019, exhibit similar shape, size, color, and reflectivity. The findings support the streaming instability model, where low-speed collisions allow objects to accumulate and form planetesimals. Further exploration of pristine planetesimals, such as those targeted by NASA's Lucy mission and ESA's comet interceptor, could shed light on the accretion processes in the ancient solar system.