Astronomers have long speculated about why many objects in the outer Solar System resemble snowmen in shape. Recent models from scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) provide a simpler explanation involving gravitational processes. They focus on the Kuiper Belt, located beyond Neptune's orbit, which contains icy building blocks, or planetesimals, leftover from the early Solar System. Approximately one in ten of these objects forms through contact binaries, meaning they are created from two merged spherical bodies.

Previously, the understanding of such formations has been complicated. Earlier computational models treated colliding objects as clusters merging into a single body, which made the creation of these unique shapes seemingly impossible. Jackson Barnes, a scientist at MSU, developed the first simulation to recreate the formation of a binary planetesimal through gravitational collisions, demonstrating that snowman-like structures can indeed be formed under certain conditions.

This breakthrough not only clarifies the origins of these peculiar objects but also provides insights into the early conditions of the Solar System and the processes that led to its current structure. It reinforces the idea that interactions at large scales in the cosmos can lead to fascinating outcomes, encouraging further research into the composition and behavior of distant celestial bodies.