California: Scientists have long considered the space between Mars and Jupiter a gap. Now, researchers have found the presence of a planet in that gap will be disastrous for the solar system.
Researchers at the University of California ran a computer simulation of a fictional planet between Mars and Jupiter. And the fictional planet was a super-Earth. UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane in a press statement said that the gap looked like "wasted real estate" to planetary scientists which is why they often wish there was something there. "In other star systems, there are many planets with masses in that gap. We call them super-Earths."
However, placing a fictional planet in that gap gives a nudge to Jupiter that is enough to destabilise everything else. The simulation showed that the super-Earth will eventually toss Mercury, Venus, and Earth into outer space depending on the size and location of the fictional planet. It can also destabilise the orbits of Uranus and Neptune and throw them out.
However, before Earth is tossed out, it will change the shape of Earth's orbit which will make it a lot less habitable.
"It’s a good thing we don’t have it." Kane explained that Jupiter's massiveness is hard to comprehend because it is much larger than all the other planets in the solar system combined. Let alone a super-Earth, even a passing star that disturbs the gas giant can lead to "great consequences for all the other planets."
The study provided great insights into the inner workings of the solar system.