The discovery of an increasing number of solar systems (we already have almost 4,000) is allowing us, more and more, to realize the ‘rarities’ of ours. One of the most notable is the great difference in size between the rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth) and the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), something that does not happen in other planetary systems, which usually have worlds of intermediate masses.
But the most outstanding of all is, without a doubt, the strange ‘gap’ that exists between Marte y Jupiterwhere instead of there being another planet, as would seem logical so as not to alter the distribution sequence that governs our system, what there is is a much less massive asteroid belt.
Imbalance in the Solar System
To try to explain these peculiarities and better understand the architecture of our solar system, Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist at the University of California at Riverside, has carried out a unique experiment, introducing planets of different sizes between Mars and Jupiter into his simulations to see what would happen. And the results, of course, were not what the scientist expected: a rocky world located there, in fact, could ‘push’ the Earth out of the Solar system and put an end to the life it harbors. The work has been published in ‘The Planetary Science Journal’.
During his work, Kane ran dynamic simulations by introducing planets with different masses between Mars and Jupiter, then observing their effects on the orbits of all the other planets. In most cases, the results were disastrous for the equilibrium of the Solar System. “This fictional planet,” says Kane, “gives Jupiter a push that’s enough to destabilize everything else. Although many astronomers have wished for this extra planet, it’s actually a good thing we don’t have it.”
Jupiter is the true king of the Solar System, and it does not hold that rank by chance. He alone, in fact, is much bigger than all the other planets put together; its mass is 318 times that of the Earth, so its gravitational influence is enormous. If any planet in our own Solar System, or a passing star, or any other celestial object disturbed Jupiter, even minimally, all the other planets would be profoundly affected.
In his article, Kane explains that the kind of catastrophic consequences of introducing a ‘super-Earth’ between Mars and Jupiter depends on its mass and exact location. Varying these parameters, in effect, some simulations expelled Mercury and Venus, while others did the same with Earth. Other combinations even destabilized the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, also throwing them into outer space.
The study has implications for the life-supporting capacity of planets in other solar systems. And despite the fact that Jupiter-like worlds, gas giants far from their stars, are only found in one in ten systems, their presence could prove decisive in determining whether or not neighboring ‘Earths’ or super-Earths have , stable orbits.
The results instilled in Kane a renewed respect for the delicate order that holds the planets together around the Sun. “Our Solar System,” says the researcher, “is a perfectly tuned mechanism in which everything works with the precision of the gears of a clock.” . Add more gears to the mix and everything will break.”