HomeScience and ResearchSpaceJupiter Could Make Our Earth Even More Habitable, Says New Study

Jupiter Could Make Our Earth Even More Habitable, Says New Study

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This finding, which has just been made public in the Astronomical Journal, challenges two established scientific theories about our solar system.

Earth is the most life-friendly planet known to science.  A new study suggests that if Jupiter’s orbit shifts, Earth could become more hospitable than it is now.

When a planet orbits its star in a completely circular orbit, the distance between the star and the planet remains constant. However, the majority of planets have oval-shaped “eccentric” orbits around their stars.

The climate changes as the planet approaches its star and absorbs more heat.

UC Riverside researchers developed an alternate solar system using comprehensive models based on data from the solar system as it is understood today. They discovered that in this hypothetical system, if the enormous Jupiter’s orbit were to become more eccentric, this would lead to significant changes in the geometry of the Earth’s orbit.

According to Pam Vervoort, a UCR Earth and planetary scientist and the study’s primary author, “If Jupiter’s position remained the same but the shape of its orbit changed, it could actually increase this planet’s habitability.”

The Earth’s surface may support a variety of known living forms between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius. With Jupiter’s help, Earth’s orbit might become more eccentric, allowing some areas to go closer to the sun than others. There would be an increase in temperatures in the livable range, warming areas of the Earth’s surface that are currently subfreezing.

Recently published in the Astronomical Journal, this finding contradicts two well-accepted theories regarding the solar system.

Many people believe that Earth is the model for a habitable planet and that because Jupiter is such a large planet, any modification to its orbit must be harmful to Earth. 

“We,” according to Vervoort, “show that both assumptions are wrong.”

Scientists hope to use this discovery in the hunt for exoplanets, or worlds orbiting distant stars that might be habitable.

According to Stephen Kane, a UCR astrophysicist and research co-author, “the first thing people look for in an exoplanet search is the habitable zone, the distance between a star and a planet to see if there is enough energy for liquid water on the planet’s surface.”

A planet has seasons because various regions experience more or less direct sunlight during its orbit. In some places on the earth, one season may be nice while another may be excessively hot or frigid.

“Having water on its surface,” according to Kane, “a very simple first metric, and it doesn’t account for the shape of a planet’s orbit, or seasonal variations a planet might experience.” 

Telescopes currently in existence are able to calculate the orbit of a planet. However, the degree to which a planet is inclined in relation to its star is another potential element in determining whether or not the planet is habitable. It would get less energy since it was tilted away from the star, making that area of the planet colder.

According to the same study, if Jupiter were substantially closer to the sun, the Earth would experience significant tilting, which would cause large areas of its surface to be subfreezing.

Since it is more difficult to determine a planet’s tilt and mass, scientists would like to develop estimation methods for these factors as well.

The ultimate goal of studying a huge planet’s motion is to forecast the habitability of planets in other systems and to comprehend the effect it has on our own solar system.

“It’s important to understand the impact that Jupiter has had on Earth’s climate through time, how its effect on our orbit has changed us in the past, and how it might change us once again in the future,” Kane added.

Image Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

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