Jakarta –
The solar system already has its own balance. So what if there is a planet placed between Mars and Jupiter?
University of California-Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane examines two gaps in planetary science. The first gap in the solar system is the size of the terrestrial planets or rocky solid planets like Earth and the size of the gas giant planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The largest terrestrial planet in the solar system is Earth, and the smallest gas giant planet is Neptune. Neptune is 4 times wider and 17 times the size of Earth. There is nothing in between alias there is a gap.
“In other star systems there are lots of planets with masses in that gap. We call them super-Earths,” said Kane.
Another gap exists in location, relative to the Sun, between Mars and Jupiter.
“Planetary scientists often hope that there is something between the two planets. Like a real estate location that is wasted,” he said.
These gaps can offer important insights into the architecture of the solar system and into Earth’s evolution. To complement this, Kane ran a dynamic computer simulation of a planet between Mars and Jupiter with different mass ranges, and then observed the effect on the orbits of all the other planets.
Planet Modeling Results Between Mars-Jupiter
The result was largely a disaster for the solar system. Jupiter is much larger than all the other planets combined; its mass is 318 times that of Earth, so its gravitational influence is enormous. If any super-Earth in our solar system, a passing star, or other celestial body slightly disturbs Jupiter, all other planets will be greatly affected.
“This fictional planet gave Jupiter enough boost to mess things up. While many astronomers wanted this extra planet, luckily we don’t have one,” explained Kane.
This super-Earth planet placed between Mars-Jupiter can kick out Mercury, Venus, Earth from the solar system. It could also mess up the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, throwing them out of orbit too.
Super-Earths will change the shape of Earth’s orbit, making it far less habitable than it is today, if not ending life entirely.
Then the experimental model is changed if the super-Earth is reduced in mass and still placed between Mars and Jupiter. As a result, Kane saw the possibility of planets remaining stable for long periods of time despite slight movements in all directions but eventually things would go badly.
This result gives Kane even greater respect for this subtle system that holds together the planets in the Sun’s solar system.
“Our solar system is more finely tuned than I thought before. Everything works like a complicated clock gear. Put more gears into the mix and everything breaks,” concluded Kane.
Watch Video “Astrobiologists Say Laughing Gas Can Be A Sign Of Life On Exoplanets“
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