Jupiter, named after the Roman god of the sky, has not only shaped our solar system, but protected us from the dangers of the outer solar system. It lies between the four inner rocky planets and the other three freezing gas giants. Jupiter is more than a thousand times more massive than the Earth. In fact, everything about Jupiter is huge. So then, what will we find out if we investigate into Jupiter’s origins?
Let the question be asked, “Why is Jupiter so big?” The answer comes from the origin of our solar system. Beginning in a cloud of gas and dust, things started to condense, twist, and spin after being disturbed by a supernova’s explosion. This began the formation of our solar system with a hot, dense ball forming at the center of it all, and a flattening disk surrounding this rotating ball. As the amount of matter increased in the hot, dense ball, the gravity increased. As the gravity increased, the pressure increased, and as the pressure increased, the temperature increased. When the temperature inside the hot, dense ball reached approximately 13 million degrees Kelvin, hydrogen fusion began. Our Sun was born.
Some of the reasons why Jupiter is so big is because it formed just outside the frost line. The frost line is the point in the solar system at which water freezes. If we look back, Jupiter was one of the first planets to begin forming and it consumed material at the fastest rate. The icy, frozen material acted like a glue and allowed more material to stick together. These icy clumps formed what are known as planetesimals, and these planetesimals clumped together to form protoplanets. Since Jupiter began early and formed outside the frost line, a lot of matter easily came together. Due to its ease while growing, it attained more mass and gravity. With more gravity, the planet brought material in much faster. Its initial large size allowed it to consume even more even faster. Basically, Jupiter grew so big because it started early and ate often.
Now, to find out how it has affected our solar system’s formation, we must look outside our solar system. Peering through telescopes at other solar systems, we found “hot Jupiters”. Essentially, we found large planets very similar to Jupiter, but super close to their star. In fact, the first exoplanet found was a “hot Jupiter” orbiting its star much closer than Mercury even orbits our sun. It is not possible for these large planets to form so close to their star, so it must be that they migrated inward. Then why isn’t our Jupiter orbiting this close to the sun?
It may be that Jupiter moved all over our solar system, but then how did it get where it is today and what effect would this have on the other planets? Scientists tried imagining the solar system forming as it exists today, but they ran into a problem. Mars should be much bigger than what it actually is. Here is where Jupiter comes on stage as the big, bad bully. Jupiter actually took some of Mars’ “lunch”. They believe that Jupiter actually formed about a third closer than it is today. The planet collided with the original debris leftover from the sun’s formation. These collisions caused it to slow down and lose momentum, allowing the sun’s gravity to pull it closer and eat the material that should have made Mars. This was a great solution to the small Mars problem. As Jupiter came closer to the sun, it condensed the inner disk of gas and dust while pushing it towards the sun, almost like a snowplow. In doing so, it made a bulge. This bulge raced around the disk, pulling Jupiter with it and actually accelerating Jupiter. Jupiter wants to pull away from the sun, but the debris behind Jupiter is still pushing it inwards. Jupiter was trapped between the inner and outer disks. So then what caused it to pull away?
Saturn entered onstage from behind Jupiter. Saturn, like its bigger brother, migrated inward and is approaching Jupiter. Saturn ended up eating the material behind Jupiter. With less material behind the two planets, the force of the bulge pushed the two planets outward. Saturn saved Jupiter from a fiery catastrophe. In doing so, they left Earth to form from the bulldozed material. Yet, Jupiter’s gravity still pulled on the debris of the inner disk, preventing some material from forming into a planet. This created the asteroid belt which exists between Mars and Jupiter.
Just wait, it is not over yet. Jupiter reached a state of equilibrium far enough away from the sun in which the gravity of the Sun and Jupiter’s centripetal force counteracted each other just right. Still, something was not right. For about a billion years after our solar system was formed, there was still a lot of junk in the solar system colliding together. You can see the evidence of this just by looking up at the moon on a clear night. Earth doesn’t show this evidence because it has been wiped clean by glaciers and volcanoes. At one point, there was a wave of icy comets from the outer solar system. This probably resulted from Jupiter and Saturn. These two giant planets had a complicated gravitation effect on one another and the bodies around them. It is believed that the gravitational forces of Saturn and Jupiter, caused Neptune and Uranus to spiral further outward. Not only did they spiral outwards, but they swapped places. Neptune is believed to have slammed into the icy debris in the outer solar system, sending incredible amounts of it inward. These comets slammed into the asteroid belt and then into the inner planets. The icy comets that slammed into Earth brought some water along with them as well.
Today, Jupiter protects us from most comets. As a comet circles inward, it eventually encounters Jupiter. The comet swings around Jupiter and is swung outward in a different direction. This is because of the pull from Jupiter’s gravity.
Without Jupiter, we would not be here. Jupiter, in some ways, has determined what exists where. Its altered the size of Mars. Its been rescued by Saturn. It, along with Saturn, has caused the orbits of Neptune and Uranus to swap. Its fate decided the fate of other planets. Jupiter is the king.
Let the question be asked, “Why is Jupiter so big?” The answer comes from the origin of our solar system. Beginning in a cloud of gas and dust, things started to condense, twist, and spin after being disturbed by a supernova’s explosion. This began the formation of our solar system with a hot, dense ball forming at the center of it all, and a flattening disk surrounding this rotating ball. As the amount of matter increased in the hot, dense ball, the gravity increased. As the gravity increased, the pressure increased, and as the pressure increased, the temperature increased. When the temperature inside the hot, dense ball reached approximately 13 million degrees Kelvin, hydrogen fusion began. Our Sun was born.
Some of the reasons why Jupiter is so big is because it formed just outside the frost line. The frost line is the point in the solar system at which water freezes. If we look back, Jupiter was one of the first planets to begin forming and it consumed material at the fastest rate. The icy, frozen material acted like a glue and allowed more material to stick together. These icy clumps formed what are known as planetesimals, and these planetesimals clumped together to form protoplanets. Since Jupiter began early and formed outside the frost line, a lot of matter easily came together. Due to its ease while growing, it attained more mass and gravity. With more gravity, the planet brought material in much faster. Its initial large size allowed it to consume even more even faster. Basically, Jupiter grew so big because it started early and ate often.
Now, to find out how it has affected our solar system’s formation, we must look outside our solar system. Peering through telescopes at other solar systems, we found “hot Jupiters”. Essentially, we found large planets very similar to Jupiter, but super close to their star. In fact, the first exoplanet found was a “hot Jupiter” orbiting its star much closer than Mercury even orbits our sun. It is not possible for these large planets to form so close to their star, so it must be that they migrated inward. Then why isn’t our Jupiter orbiting this close to the sun?
It may be that Jupiter moved all over our solar system, but then how did it get where it is today and what effect would this have on the other planets? Scientists tried imagining the solar system forming as it exists today, but they ran into a problem. Mars should be much bigger than what it actually is. Here is where Jupiter comes on stage as the big, bad bully. Jupiter actually took some of Mars’ “lunch”. They believe that Jupiter actually formed about a third closer than it is today. The planet collided with the original debris leftover from the sun’s formation. These collisions caused it to slow down and lose momentum, allowing the sun’s gravity to pull it closer and eat the material that should have made Mars. This was a great solution to the small Mars problem. As Jupiter came closer to the sun, it condensed the inner disk of gas and dust while pushing it towards the sun, almost like a snowplow. In doing so, it made a bulge. This bulge raced around the disk, pulling Jupiter with it and actually accelerating Jupiter. Jupiter wants to pull away from the sun, but the debris behind Jupiter is still pushing it inwards. Jupiter was trapped between the inner and outer disks. So then what caused it to pull away?
Saturn entered onstage from behind Jupiter. Saturn, like its bigger brother, migrated inward and is approaching Jupiter. Saturn ended up eating the material behind Jupiter. With less material behind the two planets, the force of the bulge pushed the two planets outward. Saturn saved Jupiter from a fiery catastrophe. In doing so, they left Earth to form from the bulldozed material. Yet, Jupiter’s gravity still pulled on the debris of the inner disk, preventing some material from forming into a planet. This created the asteroid belt which exists between Mars and Jupiter.
Just wait, it is not over yet. Jupiter reached a state of equilibrium far enough away from the sun in which the gravity of the Sun and Jupiter’s centripetal force counteracted each other just right. Still, something was not right. For about a billion years after our solar system was formed, there was still a lot of junk in the solar system colliding together. You can see the evidence of this just by looking up at the moon on a clear night. Earth doesn’t show this evidence because it has been wiped clean by glaciers and volcanoes. At one point, there was a wave of icy comets from the outer solar system. This probably resulted from Jupiter and Saturn. These two giant planets had a complicated gravitation effect on one another and the bodies around them. It is believed that the gravitational forces of Saturn and Jupiter, caused Neptune and Uranus to spiral further outward. Not only did they spiral outwards, but they swapped places. Neptune is believed to have slammed into the icy debris in the outer solar system, sending incredible amounts of it inward. These comets slammed into the asteroid belt and then into the inner planets. The icy comets that slammed into Earth brought some water along with them as well.
Today, Jupiter protects us from most comets. As a comet circles inward, it eventually encounters Jupiter. The comet swings around Jupiter and is swung outward in a different direction. This is because of the pull from Jupiter’s gravity.
Without Jupiter, we would not be here. Jupiter, in some ways, has determined what exists where. Its altered the size of Mars. Its been rescued by Saturn. It, along with Saturn, has caused the orbits of Neptune and Uranus to swap. Its fate decided the fate of other planets. Jupiter is the king.