The latest research indicates a major breakthrough on the huge gas giant Jupiter provided the gravitational influence through which Earth and the inner solar system were created.
As stated by researchers from Rice University, which is based in Houston, Jupiter acts as a cosmic barrier of influence to catch the dust and gas falling in and keep making new planets like Earth, Mars and Venus.
It suggests that were it not for very significant gravitational pull from Jupiter is very existence of Earth might have been doubtful.
Jupiter’s Gravitational Pull to the Inner Solar System
For the first years of the Sun, it was surrounded by a swirling disk of gas and dust in most cases, without the intervention of Jupiter, these materials would have spiraled inward and would eventually be absorbed by the Sun.
As Jupiter grew, its immense gravitational force was able to create ripples in this disk where material formed bands of traffic jams in cosmic terms which deposited small particles and al-located them for gathering in pairs to make the rocky bodies that later turned into the inner planets.
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As co-lead author Andre Izidoro puts it, “Jupiter didn’t just become the biggest planet it set the architecture for the whole inner solar system. Without it, we might not have Earth as we know it.”
Jupiter’s Architect Structure in the Solar System
It constructed a gap in the gas and dust disk, within which lies the solar system divided into two areas with the inner and the outer zones. The materials from these two zones were not able to mingle with one another which would preserve the specific isotopic signatures recorded in meteorites.
The boundary wherein Jupiter was present also contributed one condition onto the process of forming planetoids which post millions of years would make new bodies in the solar system.
How Jupiter Influence on Meteorite Formation
The other interesting question that answers the researchers deals with the following Why did some of the oldest meteorites form millions of years after the first solid bodies in the solar system? They concluded that Jupiter’s gravitational influence would be able to explain these delays.
In the process of forming the giant planet, interference set in, disrupting the timing of meteorite formation, so delaying periods of formation by up to two or three million years after the earliest solid objects. “Our results show that Jupiter itself created the conditions for their delayed birth,” explained Izidoro.
Jupiter’s Legacy in the Solar System
Jupiter’s significance in the formation of our planetary system is not only did it protect the other inner planets from cosmic debris but it also controlled the very formation of these interior worlds. Without Jupiter, the Earth and indeed the other inner planets probably would not have formed and the solar system as a whole could be very different.
As the largest and strongest powerhouse in our solar system, Jupiter is the important patriarch of the inner planet is a very significant chapter in the story of our cosmic origins.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on recent research findings and is for informational purposes. Claims and conclusions are those of the researchers and not official statements.
