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Loading contentThe enrichment of an atmosphere in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, and the ratio of carbon to oxygen within it. These quantities are more than bookkeeping: because different ices and gases condense at different distances in the disk, a planet's measured metallicity and C/O ratio carry a fingerprint of where and how it formed.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
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