A recent study found out that Jupiter formed about four million years after the solar system was formed. Astronomers have created a more specific timeline that shows a more exact date of Jupiter's formation.
According to Scientific American, astronomers have found out as to when is the nearest date Jupiter and Saturn were likely formed. In a recent study, they have discovered that Jupiter and Saturn were formed four million years after the sun and the solar system were formed. The astronomers found out after studying the ancient meteorites called angrites and its magnetic orientations.
The angrites acted as the marker as to what the solar system was like during its early years of formation. There were little to no magnetic field in the four ancient angrites. It meant that the gas and other objects floating in the air already dissolute. It also means that the large astronomical objects like the Jupiter and Saturn were more likely formed already during those times.
Brown University also stated that Jupiter was not like how it is now. It does not orbit in its current place or its size is not as big like it is now. Astronomers also suggested that Jupiter was closer to the sun. One proof of that is Mars. Astronomers hypothesized using the planetary accretion model that Mars wasn't as big as it is now. It was much smaller than a planet but since Jupiter was near the sun, it has accumulated the particles and other materials that Mars would have acquired to become larger.
Space has reported different theories that supported the astronomers estimated time of Jupiter's formation. First, the core accretion model was used. However, in the said model, it will be hard for gaseous planets to form as gas dissipates faster than rocks. The latest model/theory used is the disk instability. The theory suggests that bunch of dust and gasses were bound together in the early life of the solar system.
The theory also suggested that after thousands of years, the giant jovial planets like Jupiter and Saturn were formed.
