Jupiter It is a huge body that, during its formation, caused unimaginable confusion in the young solar system. This giant gas not only absorbed asteroids and It disturbed the orbits of the small planetsbut also some candidates that he destroyed and dragged into his thick interior.

Astronomers have long wanted to know why Jupiter gained mass so quickly and eventually became the largest planet in the solar system. In the end it became clear. This is determined by its orbit, which is located at an appropriate distance from the Sun. rock materials and primitive beings Formed in this space is regularly absorbed by Jupiter.

The Juno probe’s study of the interior of the largest planet revealed the presence of heavy elements there. Scientists are sure that these are the remains of the protoplanets, because Jupiter would not have been able to get them in another way. The current mass of this gas giant reaches 318 land masses Of which 11-30 Earth masses are potential planets. This shows how “he ate his lunch in abundance”.

Although Jupiter is a cannibal, its strong gravity and dense atmosphere protect planets, including Earth, from comet streams that can cause severe damage. Quite a number of beings larger than Oort cloud It could strike Earth in the future and end its biological life there. It’s possible that Jupiter saved the blue planet many times, although we know that it didn’t work in the case of the dinosaurs.

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Astronomers think so asteroid belt, stretching between Mars and Jupiter, traversed by several minor planets. Since the Earth is the life-giving world, and Mars was so a few billion years ago, it is very likely that Jupiter swallowed one or even several things that could have turned into a second Earth.

Search the largest planet Solar System And discoveries like cannibalism are worth their weight in gold. Astronomers can learn more about the turbulent future of system formation, which in turn will allow us to better understand the evolution of Earth and the arrival of life on it.