483-planet-formation-dixon –A violent scenes of early solar system evolution depicts a proto-planet's molten, cratered surface dominating the foreground, dotted with glowing patches of active lava. In the midground, a massive asteroid collision erupts in a shower of fragments and bright kinetic energy. In the background, a young, bright star is surrounded by a sprawling accretion disk of dust and gas, while massive streams of gas and energetic flare columns erupt vertically into a chaotic nebula. Digital painting, cover comp for Scientific American, 2008; © Don Dixon / cosmographica.com
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