Illustration – Planetary scientists simulate an alternative version of our solar system with a super-Earth between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. (freepik)
Planetary scientists recently simulated an alternative version of our solar system, where a super-Earth caused climate chaos on Earth, Mars and Venus.
One of the most common types of planets in our galaxy are planets that are larger than Earth but not as large as Neptune. These planets, called super-Earths, are almost everywhere in the Milky Way galaxy.
However, according to planetary scientists from the Florida Institute of Technology, Emily Simpson and Howard Chen, it is not surprising that our solar system does not have such a planet.
If our solar system had a super-Earth, it is likely that life as we know it would never exist.
By studying alternative versions of our solar system, Simpson and Chen wanted to investigate how exoplanets might influence each other’s orbits. Certain orbits of planets, for example, can make neighboring planets more habitable.
As a result, if the interior of a star system contains planets that are much larger than Earth, the other planets are likely to experience strange orbits and extreme climates.
Simpson and Chen created a computer simulation to see what would happen if a super-Earth orbited the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Technically, our solar system might have formed that way if there had been a slight difference during its early years, when planet-forming materials began to gather from the dust disk around the newborn sun.
For example, if gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn were slightly smaller, there might be enough space and material to form a super-Earth just beyond Mars’ orbit.
What might happen?
A super-Earth beyond Mars would throw the smaller rocky planets of the inner solar system into disarray; Super-Earth gravity will push and pull other planets into eccentric orbits or extremely tilted orbits. Some of these orbits will also never be stable, constantly changing all the time.
On the surface of these planets, conditions would be extremely chaotic: tilted and eccentric orbits could cause extreme summers and winters, and worlds with unstable orbits might alternately enter and exit ice ages.
Living in such a world requires being extremely resilient and able to adapt to dramatic environmental changes. This suggests even Earth-sized rocky planets in other stars’ habitable zones may be less hospitable to life if they share their territory with one or more super-Earths, as their climates may be highly unstable. In fact, the evolution of life requires at least a little stability.
Simpson and Chen simulated several different versions of a hypothetical super-Earth they called Phaedra, with masses varying from slightly larger than Earth to more than 10 times that, and with several different orbital trajectories. According to their results, the worst-case scenario for life in the inner solar system involves a planet with a mass between 10 – 20 times that of Earth.
“The larger the mass, the worse the impact,” Chen said. “The largest masses cause the most significant changes to the orbital stability of Earth, Venus, and Mars, especially Earth.”
A super-Earth with a highly eccentric orbit would also be bad news for the inner planets because it would likely push or pull Earth, Mars, and Venus into eccentric or tilted orbits.
Even a planet slightly larger than Earth between Mars and Jupiter would make life on Earth very difficult.
“We can imagine there is another planet between Mars and Jupiter that has a slightly greater mass than Earth, maybe twice Earth’s mass. We would probably experience more drastic weather. Summers and winters could be more extreme, but on average Earth will remain quite livable,” Chen said. (Space/Z-3)
Here we go, folks. So, you know how we all love a good “what if” scenario, right? Like, what if I won the lottery, what if I was a professional footballer, or what if I wasn’t married to my in-laws… (just kidding, I love my in-laws). Anyway, plantetary scientists have been having a go at simulating an alternate version of our solar system, and I’ve got to say, it’s been a bloody interesting ride.
So, it turns out that those super-Earths, planets larger than Earth but not quite as massive as Neptune, are basically everywhere in the Milky Way galaxy. But, what’s really interesting is that our solar system doesn’t have one. And, according to Emily Simpson and Howard Chen from the Florida Institute of Technology, it’s not exactly a coincidence.
Apparently, if we had a super-Earth in our solar system, it would be a right old game-changer. I mean, we’re talking climate chaos, extreme weather conditions, the works. It’s like someone decided to put a giant, intergalactic washing machine on spin cycle and forgot to attach the stabilizers.
Simpson and Chen simulated a hypothetical super-Earth, which they’ve lovingly named Phaedra (because who doesn’t love a bit of Greek mythology?), and the results were quite fascinating. They created different versions of Phaedra with masses ranging from just a bit larger than Earth to more than 10 times its size, and they found that the bigger the mass, the worse the impact on our solar system.
But, here’s the thing, folks. It’s not just about the size of the super-Earth; its orbit also plays a massive role. A super-Earth with a highly eccentric orbit would be like a cosmic troublemaker, pushing and pulling our poor planets like Earth, Mars, and Venus into all sorts of weird and wonderful orbits. It’s like a intergalactic game of cosmic pinball, and we’re all just trying to stay out of the way.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “What would life be like with a super-Earth in our solar system?” Well, let me tell you, it wouldn’t be a picnic. Extreme summers and winters, constant climate changes, and the occasional ice age would make life on Earth rather… eventful. I mean, can you imagine trying to plan a summer holiday with that sort of weather forecast? “Lovely, honey, I’ve booked us a cottage in Spain for the summer… Oh, wait, it’s going to be a 10-degree summer with a chance of perpetual ice storms.”
But, in all seriousness, the research does raise some interesting questions about the possibility of life on other planets. It seems that even if a planet is in the habitable zone of its star, the presence of a super-Earth could make it rather… inhospitable. So, it’s not just about finding a planet that’s the right size and in the right place; it’s about finding one that doesn’t have a massive, cosmic sibling causing chaos in the background.
Well, that’s it for today, folks. A super-Earth in our solar system? No thank you, mate. I think I’ll stick with the weather forecast I’ve got, thanks very much. (laughs) Now, let’s just hope that our actual weather forecasters are a bit more accurate than our hypothetical super-Earths… (wink).
References:
* Florida Institute of Technology
* Emily Simpson and Howard Chen
* Phaedra (because who doesn’t love a bit of Greek mythology?)
* Super-Earths
* Milky Way galaxy
* Planetary scientists
* Climate chaos
* Extreme weather conditions
