Studying Planetary Systems in the Making

How do planets form from the disks of gas and dust that orbit around young stars? At the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, Joanna Drążkowska is investigating this question within the framework of a Lise Meitner Group of the Max Planck Society (MPG). The researcher's goal is to describe the entire development, spanning billions of years, from the smallest dust grains to the largest planets, in a unified model and to simulate it on the computer. Only in this way can the diversity of planets – in our solar system and beyond – be understood. The models are tested against observational data from the depths of space and analyses of meteorites, such as those carried out at the MPS. Already, it is apparent that planet formation is much more complex and less straightforward than previously assumed. The MPG's Lise Meitner Excellence Program supports exceptionally qualified female scientists and offers them the prospect of continuing their research within the MPG on a permanent basis.