Jupiter is the killer of the early super-planets in the solar system. Is it possible?

Jupiter is the killer of the early super-planets in the solar system. Is it possible?

A group of scientists noticed something strange, studying the planets outside the solar system. Most of the other systems in our galaxy contain larger planets, and the distance from them to the parent stars is much less than from the Sun to Mercury.

Here on earth, diamonds are a real rarity and the greatest value. Especially if you are a faithful admirer of James Bond. But in outer space, literally through several planets from Earth, there are planets on which real diamond rains occur. Of course, we are talking about the gas giants - Saturn and Jupiter!

“Our solar system includes many objects, but there is a gaping void inside Mercury’s orbit,” said Gregory Loughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This is the main feature of our planetary system!

“The theory of the formation of the solar system suggests that in its infancy, giant Jupiter had an internal spiral, which created a powerful gravitational field. This gravity, like a cosmic elephant in a china shop, has scattered asteroids and proto-planets in different directions, threatening to destroy other planets in the entire region in an instant, ”said Laughlin.

This would have ended the sad story if it were not for Saturn, who, despite his younger age, had enough gravitational force to counteract the inner spiral of Jupiter. Freeing the gigantic planet from bursting its energy, Saturn pushed Jupiter closer to Mars and keeps it there for many billions of years. Thus arose the second generation of the planets of the solar system, including the Earth.

Laughlin and his colleagues were more interested in studying the consequences that such space migration could have than in direct evidence of Jupiter’s navigation capabilities.

“Any theory is based on the following principle: first it happened, which led to something. And every part of the postulate put forward must be questioned and proved. In my opinion, this is very logical, ”- said Laughlin.

But when looking at the consequences of planetary migration, many questions arise.

Computer models demonstrate a very natural mechanism for the destruction of any super-planet, which may exist in one of the early solar systems.

The created models are suitable not only for multiple collisions, but also for high-speed collisions. They reflect the conditions reflected in the study, the results of which were published this week in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

“They are confronted with tremendous power, as the planetesimals travel through space along different trajectories. The collision force is usually about 2-5 kilometers per second. Therefore, one hundred kilometers of objects have tremendous energy and destructive power, ”said Lafin.

From the collision of the object break up into many fragments, which also collide and disintegrate. This is indicated by the research. “Perhaps at the beginning of its existence, the Solar System had completely different outlines. However, the gravitational forces quickly destroyed everything that was inside the orbit of Mercury. And today a small planet is the closest object to the Sun, ”the scientist notes.

A few months ago, another team of scientists found evidence of an early planetary migration to a region teeming with asteroids and other objects, which eventually settled in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

“For me, the asteroid belt is a gold mine for improving or completely refuting the planetary migration model,” said Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysics center Francesca de Meo. - “There is something to think about, to reflect on the many mysteries in the history of the solar system. However, this theory is still quite raw, so we must remain open to new versions and points of view. This work takes us one step closer in understanding how the Earth's twin planet can be formed, where the life and unique biological conditions of our planet can be maintained. ”

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