Unveiling the Secrets of Arrokoth: Insights into Solar System Formation

A new study on the trans-Neptunian object Arrokoth has revealed that its lobes are dotted with mounds, suggesting a common origin and shedding light on the formation of planetesimals in our solar system. The mounds share similar shape, size, color, and albedo, indicating that they clumped together to form the lobes. This discovery supports the streaming instability model of formation, where gentle collisions allow smaller objects to accumulate into larger ones. The findings may require a reevaluation of theories about planetesimal formation and could have implications for future missions targeting similar objects.