Researchers have traced the origins of diverse early space rocks to a dust trap just outside Jupiter's orbit. The findings come from computer simulations matching meteorite compositions found on Earth. They suggest this region produced multiple generations of planetesimals over millions of years.
A study from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research shows that a ring of higher gas pressure beyond Jupiter trapped dust and pebbles. This allowed planetesimals to form with varying compositions between two and four million years after the Solar System began 4.6 billion years ago.