Astronomers Develop a More Precise Lifetime for Jupiter and Saturn’s Formation
3 mins read

Astronomers Develop a More Precise Lifetime for Jupiter and Saturn’s Formation

Since centuries, the formation of our solar system and its involved planets has been a matter of question for the scientists and the explorations missions to ascertain this problem is numerous. In such a providential celestial breakthrough, scientists have found out the actual birth timeline of solar system’s two most pivotal planets – Jupiter and Saturn. Astronomers, in their new research paper, have highlighted a new existence of the solar nebula. The study suggests that the largest and second-largest planets of the solar system – the Jupiter and Saturn configured within the first four million years of the formation of our solar systems, a discovery that may revolutionize the whole scenario of celestial study.

After studying the ancient meteorites called angrites as well as its magnetic orientations, scientists have come up with a more precise lifetime of the two largest planets of the solar nebula. To give the time frame of the planetary system, researchers have described the complete formation process of solar system alongside the planets. As highlighted by the study, some 4.6 billion years ago, a supermassive cloud, filled with hydrogen gas and dust distorted under its own credence, which eventually knocking down into a floppy, known as the solar nebula. Most of these interstellar objects tapered at the core of the disks to form the Sun and the leftover gas and dust part of the solar nebulas condensed and subsequently created the planets and the rest of our planetary system.

The study also highlighted that the formation of the supermassive astronomical objects like the Jupiter and Saturn took place during the first four million years of solar system’s formation. The study, conducted by the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US also stated that juvenile Jupiter was far different from what it is now. It was not orbiting in its present trajectory, and its mass was also not as big as it is now.

Huapei Wang, the lead author of the study and Benjamin Weiss, a professor at MIT, for conducting the research, examined the magnetic orientations in immaculate samples of ancient meteorites which are projected to be configured some 4.653 billion years ago. The age of the meteorites eventually confirmed that the solar nebula is surviving since three to four million years.

In the early period of formation, Jupiter was remarkably closer to the sun, and the most palpable proof of the event is Mars. Astronomers, using the planetary accretion model also have hypothesized that Mars was not as large as it is at present. It was quite smaller, just similar to the mass of Jupiter. But due to the nearness of Jupiter with Sun, Mars managed to mount up the particles and turned into a huge celestial element.