A new simulation demonstrates the fragility of the solar system
Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside, ran dynamic computer simulations of the location of an Earth-like planet between Mars and Jupiter to analyze its effects on the orbits of all the other planets. The models indicated that this hypothetical planet might push Earth out of the solar system and end life.
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idle space?
The scientist ran the models with various locations of this super-Earth in the Sun’s orbit, ranging from two to four astronomical units (AU), as well as masses for it ranging from 1 to 10 times the mass of Earth. “Planetary scientists often wish there was something between those two planets. It looks like wasted real estate,” the astronomer said.
As accurate as a clock
For the most part, the results were disastrous for the solar system. “This fictional planet gives Jupiter a boost, enough to destabilize everything else,” Kane said. “Although many astronomers have wanted this extra planet, it’s a good thing we don’t have it,” he stressed.
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Any kind of disturbance to Jupiter, whose mass is 318 times that of the Earth, might profoundly affect all the other planets, since their gravitational influence is colossal. Depending on a super-Earth’s mass and exact location, its presence might ultimately drive Mercury and Venus, as well as Earth, out of the solar system. “Our solar system is more in tune than I had appreciated before. Everything works like intricate clockwork gears. Add more gears to the mix and everything breaks down,” Kane stressed.
planetary architecture
The implications of these results for assessing the ability of planets to support life in other solar systems are enormous. Although Jupiter-like planets, gas giants and far from their stars, are only rarely found, their presence might decide whether Earth-like planets or super-Earths around them would have stable orbits. The results of the study were publisheds en Planetary Science Journal.
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