A recent experiment has shown that a terrestrial planet moving between Jupiter and Mars could push earth away from the solar system and eradicate life on the planet.
Gaps in Planetary Science
In a report from EurekAlert, Stephen Kane, a UCR astrophysicist, explains that the experiment was conducted to address two evident planetary science gaps.
The first one refers to the solar system's gap when it comes to the size of huge gas planets and terrestrial ones. The Earth is the biggest terrestrial planet while Neptune is the smallest gas giant. Neptune, however, is still 17 times more massive and four times wider than earth. Nothing can be found in between.
Kane explains that, in other solar systems, many massed planets can be found in the gap. These are referred to as super-earths.
The other gap refers to the location between Mars and Jupiter. This location is relative to the sun. Kane says planetary scientists wish that something could be found between the two as it seems like the spot is "wasted real estate."
Such gaps may offer vital understanding regarding the solar system's architecture and the earth's evolution. To bridge this gap, Kane conducted dynamic computer simulations of a planet that is situated between Jupiter and Mars and that has varying masses. Kane then observed how the planet's orbits affected the others.
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It May Take One Planet To Wipe Out Life on Earth
Unexpectedly, Kane's findings had disastrous implications. The results were published in the Planetary Science Journal.
The UCR astrophysicist says that the fictional planet could nudge Jupiter in a way that is sufficient enough to lead to everything's destabilization. He further says that, while several astronomers have been hoping for the existence of yet another planet, it is a good thing for the solar system that it remains fictional.
Jupiter is bigger than the sum of all the other planets. Its mass is 318 times greater than that of the earth. Hence, it has a profound gravitational influence. If a super earth, passing star, or other cosmic object disrupts Jupiter even a little, the other planets will get affected by such a disturbance.
While this may depend on the super-earth's mass and location, the presence of such a planet may lead to the ejection of Mercury, Venus, and earth from the solar system. Neptune and Uranus' orbits may also get destabilized.
The planet may also alter the orbit shape of earth. This, in turn, will make the planet less habitable, if not completely void of life.
If the planet had a smaller mass and was directly between Jupiter and Mars, it may be possible for the planet to stay stable over long periods of time. However, if it made any small moves toward anywhere, things could take a wrong turn.
How Fragile Is the Solar System?
The findings have vital implications regarding the ability of planets across the solar system to foster life. While planets similar to Jupiter are only spotted 10% of the time, the presence of these planets may determine the orbit stability of super-earths and neighboring earths.
The results made Kane gain a new respect for the systematic order that keeps planets together and in place. He says that the solar system is tuned more finely than he had previously appreciated. Kane notes that the solar system is similar to complex clock gears and that, when more gears are added, everything breaks.
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