Abstract
A number of theories of the formation of the planets advocate that the terrestrial planets were originally of cosmic composition and that it is only subsequent evolution that has removed their volatile components. This paper shows that such protoplanets could have remained in the terrestrial planet region without significant changes occurring in their orbits for an acceptable time interval.
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Donnison, J.R., Williams, I.P. Orbital stability of massive protoplanets in the terrestrial planet region of the solar system. The Moon and the Planets 19, 421–424 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00901972
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00901972