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. ...