Simulation of Top-Shape Formation
Illustrating what scientists argue in the paper, this animation demonstrates how top-shape asteroids may have formed. This simulation shows the gravitational reaccumulation of an asteroid parent body (center) following its catastrophic disruption by an impact. The movie begins with a change in perspective to display the initial geometry of the impacted 100-km asteroid, followed by the dispersal of fragments to form separate rubble-pile asteroids. The color of each particle indicates the change in its temperature after impact, with blue being no change and dark red indicated a change of 1000 Kelvin.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Laboratoire Lagrange
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