There is exactly one world in the universe that we know is favorable for life: ours.
This is why we often use Earth as the perfect template when looking for habitable planets from other planetary systems beyond the edge of our galaxy.
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But new research suggests that Earth is not as habitable as possible. In fact, a slight shift in Jupiter’s orbit could make it a much more habitable planet.
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This is an important study because there are many moving parts and components in the solar system, and it is very difficult to figure out what factors contribute to the habitability of Earth. It can also help you better understand what makes a habitable world habitable.
“If Jupiter’s position stays the same and the shape of its orbit changes, that could actually increase the planet’s habitability,” said Pam Vervoort, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Riverside.
“Many people are convinced that Earth is the epitome of a habitable planet, and that any change in Jupiter’s orbit could make it a giant planet. We show both assumptions wrong.”
The results also impact the search for habitable worlds outside the solar system by providing a new set of parameters for evaluating their potential habitability. Currently, we don’t have the tools to definitively measure the habitability of exoplanets,
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but scientists are assembling the world’s population based on several characteristics that we should take a closer look at. The first is where the exoplanet is comparative with its host star.
It must either be too close to the surface for liquid water to evaporate, or far enough away that the water does not freeze. The second is the size and mass of the exoplanet. Is it likely to be a rock like Earth, Venus or Mars? Or is there a gas like Jupiter, Saturn or Uranus?
Increasingly, it seemed that a gas giant like Jupiter in the same system might be a good indicator of habitability. Notwithstanding, there appear to be a few provisos.
In 2019, an international team of scientists published a study based on simulations that a change in Jupiter’s orbit could destabilize the entire solar system very quickly.
Now, more simulations have shown that the opposite may be true, which will help constrain the gas giant’s orbits that either facilitate or hinder habitability. The study is based on the eccentricity of Jupiter’s orbit, the degree to which it is long and elliptical.
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Currently, Jupiter only has slightly elliptical orbits. It is almost circular. But if that orbit is stretched, it will have a very noticeable effect on the rest of the solar system. Because Jupiter is huge, it is 2.5 times the size of the rest of the solar system combined.
So adjusting Jupiter’s eccentricity really shows what gravitational effect it will have on the other planets. For Earth, it also means increased eccentricity. In other words, the researchers found that parts of the planet were moving closer to the sun, heating it up into a temperate and habitable region.
But moving Jupiter closer to the Sun makes Earth less habitable. That’s because it causes our home planet to tilt faster on its axis than it currently is. This is a feature that gives us seasonal changes. But a steeper slope will freeze much of our planet, along with more extreme seasons.
The winter sea ice will expand over an area four times larger than it is today. These results can be applied to any multiplanetary system we found to assess their potential habitability, the researchers said. But they also highlight how many factors have influenced our existence in the light blue dots.
Maybe we almost never existed. And what happens if the solar system becomes unstable?
“The presence of water on the surface is a very simple first measure,”
said Stephen Cain, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside.
“It is vital to comprehend how Jupiter’s impact on Earth’s environment after some time, how Jupiter’s effect on our circle has transformed us previously, and how it will transform us in the future later on.”
