Long ago, our solar system may have hosted five giant planets, instead of just four — and we have Jupiter to thank for that, claims a new study.
Astrophysicists at the University of Toronto have published a study in the Astronomical Journal claiming that Jupiter was responsible for ejecting an ice giant planet some 4 billion years ago, according to a Huffington Post report.
Scientists believed that the ice giant collided with Jupiter in such a way as to completely disrupt its orbit with the sun, sending it hurtling off into space.
Scientists have long suspected that there was one this fifth giant planet in addition to gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune. But the question was, who was the culprit responsible for ejecting this planet from the solar system? The scientists used computer simulations of the four giant planets in addition to their moons, and was able to figure out how moons would act if a fifth giant had come into contact with the system billions of years ago, and Jupiter was the only planet that seemed to match that description as its moon, Callisto, would have retained its orbit despite an ejection, whereas if it had happened to Saturn it would have thrown off course the moon Iapetus.
And the ice giant probably had a bumpy ride out, with scientists believing it may have collided with Neptune as well before departing the solar system for good.
It’s an important finding that could help scientists better understand the evolution of our solar system, as well as whether or not we are unique or if this is how solar systems evolve across the universe.