Double theory, both on forming satellites.

[Tex]

Okay, I was doing some of my periodic random thinking, and I got to wondering about the formation of the planets and moons.

1. Do you think it would be possible, given enough time, that the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter could re-form into another planetessimal?

2. Also given time, could it be possible that the various space debris that currently clutters up our LEO space could accumulate into an artificially natural satellite?

I have no idea, I just need some from somebody

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Okay, I was doing some of my periodic random thinking, and I got to wondering about the formation of the planets and moons.

1. Do you think it would be possible, given enough time, that the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter could re-form into another planetessimal?

2. Also given time, could it be possible that the various space debris that currently clutters up our LEO space could accumulate into an artificially natural satellite?

I have no idea, I just need some from somebody

First one possibly, second one, if there was that much it would fall back down.

[Rakaydos]

Okay, I was doing some of my periodic random thinking, and I got to wondering about the formation of the planets and moons.

1. Do you think it would be possible, given enough time, that the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter could re-form into another planetessimal?

2. Also given time, could it be possible that the various space debris that currently clutters up our LEO space could accumulate into an artificially natural satellite?

I have no idea, I just need some from somebody

Not if Jovian Tides keep stirring the mess enough to prevent it. likewise, Lunar tides and the earth's Roche limit may interfere with a "space junk sargasso"

[Skyler4856]

1. No, Any massive asteroid would be pulled towards Jupiter and made into a minor moon

2. No, the drag experienced by those satellites ensures that they would crash into oblivion

[Nuke]

most of our satellites are at geo, not leo. anything left in leo will not stay there long. those might accumulate if left to their own devices for a few thousand years.

[Sillychris]

Let's try to list all the effects that could be significant on a timescale long enough for space junk to coalesce.

I will ignore the space junk in the whispy upper bits of the atmosphere, since it will aerobrake and die.

-gravity of the space junk

-earth's magnetic field

-solar wind

-resistance of stray atoms in space (There really is no such thing as a perfect vacuum)

Since most of our space junk is metallic in nature, electric currents will be induced in it as it journeys through the earth's magnetic field. In turn, these electric currents will create their own magnetic fields in the junk. These effects may be tiny, but the timescale is large.

Ultimately, the induced magnetic field could lead to an attractive force between two objects. If their velocity vectors were not too different (think docking) the induced field could stick them together. There is also the tiny gravitational contribution that will always be attractive at all ranges.

Outside the magnetic field, we have solar wind. Although I can't find any literature supporting my guess, I seriously suspect that solar wind could ionize metals over time. This would lead to a net charge and thus a repulsive interaction between any of the space junk... likely greater than the gravitational attraction (it doesn't take much charge to beat gravity between very light objects). On the plus side, this may kick some of it into a lower orbit inside the Earth's magnetic field.

Stray atoms: Fortunately, these atoms are subject to the same gravity as everything else and would be living in orbits. I think the net effect of drag from these guys would be zero or very close to zero.

So, here is my guess: If a space junk satellite were to coalesce, it would be somewhere between the upper reaches of the atmosphere and the upper reaches of the magnetosphere... probably somewhere near the top of the magnetosphere due to the stuff getting kicked down by solar wind.

And as far as the asteroid belt coalescing into a planetismal? Totally negatory. Tidal forces from Jupiter will simply not allow it.

[Camacha]

There is a reason the stuff between Mars and Jupiter is still the way it is and that is Jupiter. It has hoovered a huge area around it clean of debris, and is continuously messing up the rest. It is a bad dude man. Just look at it, taunting us in the night sky. The biggest in the system and the bully too.

[meve12]

There is a reason the stuff between Mars and Jupiter is still the way it is and that is Jupiter. It has hoovered a huge area around it clean of debris, and is continuously messing up the rest. It is a bad dude man. Just look at it, taunting us in the night sky. The biggest in the system and the bully too.

Not really MEAN...

Just a voracious appetite.

[Camacha]

Not really MEAN...

Just a voracious appetite.

I was honestly looking at the night sky and thinking how intimidating it was shining down. Shine shine, fornicator of the woman that birthed you!

Yes, I just anthropomorphized a giant ball of gas.

[TheShadow1138]

1. As has been mentioned, the tidal forces of Jupiter will not allow for the belt to coalesce a new planet, or dwarf planet. The belt has had about 4.6 billion years to coalesce, no reason to think it will in the next 4.6 billion years or so.

2. The mass of the individual pieces of space junk are rather insignificant, when compared to the Earth and being as close to the Earth as they are, the Earth's gravity dominates their motions. In short the various pieces of junk don't have enough of a gravitational field to attract the other pieces of junk. It's the same reason that an astronaut could not orbit the Space Shuttle.