In astronomy or planetary science, the frost line, also known as the snow line or ice line, is the minimum distance from the central protostar of a solar nebula where the temperature is low enough for volatile compounds such as water, ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to condense into solid grains, which will allow their ...

What is the frost line? Frost line or ice line defines the boundary where simple molecules condense (dihydrogen H2, dinitrogen N2, dichlorine Cl2, water H2O, ammonia NH3, hydrogen sulfide H2S, carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4, ethane C2H6).

Since different materials condense at different temperatures, our solar system formed different types of planets. The dividing line for the different planets in our solar system is called the frost line. In the simulation below, notice where hydrogen and helium condense in the solar nebula.

Jul 4, 2013 · This process is believed to have played a critical role in the formation of planets in the solar system. The distance at which a molecular species freezes out is termed its "snow line." Snow lines are thought to mark regions of enhanced particle growth -- and thus planet formation – for four reasons.

Objects that formed outside the frost line where water could condense and become solid had much more ice (water, CO2, CO, methane, etc.) and less rock and metals. The frost line in our solar system lies somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

grains begin to condense is known as the “frost line.” The exact location of the frost line is still debated, but it is thought to be around 4 Au, between the asteroid belt and the orbit of Jupiter (earth is 1 Au from the sun; Jupiter is 5 Au from the sun). …

Apr 13, 2016 · The frost line is a boundary between mostly ice-covered objects and mostly rock-covered objects. It is about 5 AU from the Sun. Inside the frost line surfaces exposed to the Sun are warm enough for water ice to melt or sublime readily, leaving exposed rock like our Moon.

Aug 8, 2013 · The “snow line” (also called frost line, ice line, snow boundary, etc.) is the distance from a central protostar at which ice grains can form– this occurs at temperatures of about 150-170 K. At the snow line, the density of solid particles in the disk increases rather abruptly.

The frost line for the Solar System lies between Mars and Jupiter. It marks a major divide in planet properties because outside of it, various kinds of frozen light molecules could accumulate on a forming planet as ices (for example, frozen water captures not only oxygen, but some hydrogen).

Aug 23, 2024 · The existence of the frost line explains why we observe a rocky inner solar system and an icy outer solar system as each area of the nascent solar system will contain different condensates for planet formation.