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Mark Fisher
1999-2008
Protoplanet
The initial phase in the development of a planet. A protoplanet is formed by the coalescence of material under the influence of gravity, a process referred to as accretion. As this accretion causes the mass of the protoplanet to increase, this in turn causes it to exert greater gravitational force on the matter around it, accelerating its development until it ultimately forms a true planet.
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