Could More of Earth’s Surface Host Life? Jupiter’s Orbit Is Key



Earth is as conducive to life as any planet known to exist, right? Or is it? According to a recent study, the Earth might become even more habitable for life if Jupiter's orbit changes.

The distance between a planet and its star remains constant while the planet revolves around its star in a completely circular orbit. 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.                        
A different solar system was developed by researchers from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) using intricate models based on information from the solar system as we know it now. They found that in this hypothetical system, if enormous Jupiter's orbit were to become more eccentric, this would lead to significant changes in the form of Earth's orbit.                                                          
Pam Vervoort, lead study author and a planetary scientist at UCR, noted that if Jupiter's position remained constant but its orbit changed, it might make this planet more habitable.

The Earth's surface may support a variety of known living forms between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius (32 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit). Parts of the Earth might occasionally move closer to the sun if Jupiter has caused Earth's orbit to become more eccentric. Currently subfreezing regions of the Earth's surface would warm, bringing temperatures into the habitable range.

Two long-held scientific presumptions about our solar system are challenged by this conclusion, which was published on September 8 in the Astronomical Journal.

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 detrimental to Earth, according to Vervoort. "We demonstrate the fallacy of both assumptions."

The application of this finding to the hunt for exoplanets—habitable worlds that orbit other stars—excites the researchers.

According to Stephen Kane, research co-author and astrophysicist at UCR, "the first thing people check for in an exoplanet search is the habitable zone, the distance between a star and a planet to determine if there is enough energy for liquid water on the planet's surface.
Earth Size Comparison Comparison of the sizes of Jupiter and Earth. Credit: M.H. Wong, ESA, A. Simon, and Goddard Space Flight Center (University of California, Berkeley)

A planet has seasons because various regions experience more or less direct sunlight during its orbit. While some regions of the world may be comfortable in some seasons, in others they may be severely hot or frigid.

According to Kane, "having water on a planet's surface is a very simple first metric, and it doesn't account for the nature of a planet's orbit or any seasonal variations."

The orbit of a planet can be determined with current telescopes. The degree to which a planet is inclined toward or away from a star is one more variable that may have an impact on habitability. It would get less energy since it was tilted away from the star, making that area of the planet colder.

The same study discovered that the Earth would tilt dramatically if Jupiter were placed far closer to the sun. Large portions of the Earth's surface would become subfreezing as a result.

In order to determine tilt and planet mass, which are more challenging to quantify, the researchers are working to create techniques.

In the end, it is crucial to comprehend a huge planet's motion in order to anticipate whether planets in other systems will be habitable and to determine its influence on our solar system.

It's critical to comprehend how Jupiter has affected Earth's climate over time, how its alteration of our orbit has affected us in the past, and how it might do so again in the future, according to Kane.

By UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE 

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