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Loading contentThe distance from a young star beyond which it is cold enough for a volatile such as water to freeze into ice. Past the snow line the supply of solid material jumps, favouring the rapid growth of massive cores — one reason the Solar System's giant planets lie beyond it — and its location leaves an imprint on a planet's later atmospheric composition.
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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