Vol. 599
In section 1. Letters to the Editor

Low-velocity collisions of chondrules: How a thin dust cover helps enhance the sticking probability

To form planetesimals and then planets, grains must stick to each other to grow. The collision velocity at which chondrules, an essential component of the meteoritic sample, bounce rather than stick has until now been thought to be extremely low, in the order of mm/s. Gunkelmann et al. show that this critical velocity may be two orders of magnitude greater when accounting for the presence of a thin dust cover around the chondrules, a crucial finding that will help to understand how these objects were accreted into asteroids.