Jupiter, the gas giant that is the largest planet in our solar system, used to be even larger, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Researchers have determined that when the solar nebula dissipated around 4.5 billion years ago, marking the end of planet formation, Jupiter was at least twice its current size.
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The findings suggest that the planet had a magnetic field that was about 50 times more powerful than it is today. The study was conducted by analyzing the slightly tilted orbits of two of Jupiter's moons, Amalthea and Thebe, which have remained relatively unchanged since their formation despite being influenced by the gravitational pull of the volcanically active moon Io. The discovery provides a new benchmark for understanding the early stages of the solar system's evolution.
Jupiter's current shrinking is attributed to the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism, a process by which planets decrease in size as they cool. The rate of this shrinkage is approximately 2 centimeters per year. This new insight into the planet's past could help scientists piece together the mysterious formation process of gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn.
The study's results are independent of the specifics of how Jupiter was formed, focusing instead on observable phenomena to estimate the planet's original size and magnetic field strength. The findings provide a clearer picture of the solar system's early state, which is essential for understanding the conditions that allowed for the formation of the sun and planets as we know them today. Source topic from live science.