Can Earth support more life on it surface?
Can Earth support more life on it surface?
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Earth is the most life-friendly planet of all those that are currently known, right? According to a recent study, Earth might become more hospitable than it is right now if Jupiter's orbit shifts.

When a planet revolves around a star in a complete circle, the distance between the star and the planet stays constant. However, most planets have oval-shaped orbits around their stars, which are referred to as "eccentric" orbits. The planet's climate changes as it draws nearer to its star and absorbs more heat.

Researchers from UC Riverside developed an alternate solar system using intricate models built from information from the solar system as we know it today. They discovered that in this hypothetical system if the enormous Jupiter's orbit were to become more eccentric, this would lead to significant changes in the geometry of the Earth's orbit.

"If Jupiter's position remained the same, but the shape of its orbit changed, it could actually increase this planet's habitability," said Pam Vervoort, UCR Earth and planetary scientist and lead study author.

The Earth's surface may support a variety of known living forms between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius. Parts of the Earth might occasionally move closer to the sun if Jupiter has caused Earth's orbit to become more eccentric. There would be an increase in temperatures in the livable range, warming areas of the Earth's surface that are currently subfreezing.

This finding, which has just been made public in the Astronomical Journal, challenges two established scientific theories about our solar system. "Many are convinced that Earth is the epitome of a habitable planet and that any change in Jupiter's orbit, being the massive planet it is, could only be bad for Earth," Vervoort said. "We show that both assumptions are wrong."

The application of this discovery to the hunt for exoplanets—habitable worlds that orbit other stars—excites the researchers. "The first thing people look for in an exoplanet search is the habitable zone, the distance between a star and a planet to see if there's enough energy for liquid water on the planet's surface," said Stephen Kane, UCR astrophysicist and study co-author.

A planet has seasons because various regions experience more or less direct sunlight during its orbit. In some places on the earth, one season may be nice while another may be excessively hot or frigid. "Having water on its surface a very simple first metric, and it doesn't account for the shape of a planet's orbit, or seasonal variations a planet might experience," Kane said.

The orbit of a planet can be determined with current telescopes. The degree to which a planet is inclined toward or away from a star is one more variable that may have an impact on habitability. It would get less energy since it was tilted away from the star, making that area of the planet colder. According to the same study, if Jupiter were substantially closer to the sun, the Earth would experience significant tilting, which would cause large areas of its surface to be subfreezing. 

The scientists would also like to work toward techniques that help them estimate tilt and a planet's mass because such quantities are more challenging to assess. In the end, it is crucial to grasp a huge planet's motion in order to anticipate whether planets in other systems will be habitable and to comprehend its influence on our solar system.

"It's important to understand the impact that Jupiter has had on Earth's climate through time, how its effect on our orbit has changed us in the past, and how it might change us once again in the future," Kane said.

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