Also involved in the research project and co-author of the The Planetary Science Journal article is Sherry Fieber-Beyer, associate professor of Space Studies, who said the project is significant because it helps planetary scientists better frame the context of the solar system’s formation and evolution.

“Evolutionary models of the solar system invoke giant planet migrations scattering objects from the inner solar system to the outer system—and vice versa,” said Fieber-Beyer. “These migrations resulted in the creation of Jupiter’s asteroids, irregular satellites, and other astronomical phenomena. We must consider whether these moons formed at their location or whether they were captured during planetary migration.”