Latest news with #KonstantinBatygin
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
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Jupiter designed the solar system. Here's what the planet was like as a child.
Jupiter, the largest planet orbiting the sun, used to be much bigger and stronger when the solar system was just beginning to take shape, a pair of astronomers say. Two scientists at Caltech and the University of Michigan suggest that early Jupiter was at least double its contemporary size. The primitive version of the gas giant could have held some 8,000 Earths within it, said Konstantin Batygin, lead author of the new study. What's more, young Jupiter probably had a magnetic field 50 times more powerful. A magnetic field is an invisible force surrounding a planet that interacts with charged particles coming from the sun and cosmic rays. To calculate those measurements, the scientists looked at how Jupiter's moons move through space and how the planet spins. This unconventional approach, which didn't rely on traditional models, may fill gaps in the solar system's history. Many scientists refer to Jupiter as the "architect" of the solar system because its immense gravity influenced the orbits of other planets and carved up the cloud from which they all emerged. "More than any other planet, Jupiter played a key role in shaping our solar system," Batygin said in a post on X. "Yet details of its early physical state are elusive." SEE ALSO: Private spacecraft circling moon snaps photo with strange optical illusion NASA's Juno spacecraft snaps images of Jupiter and catches the tiny moon Amalthea as it orbits the planet. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt The paper, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, rewinds the clock to just 3.8 million years after the first solid objects formed in the solar system and the cloud of gas and dust from which everything formed started to evaporate. This period — when the building materials for planets disappeared — is thought to be a pivotal point, when the general design of the solar system was locked in. Jupiter, roughly 562 million miles from Earth today, has nearly 100 moons. But Batygin and his collaborator Fred Adams' research focused on two of the smaller ones, Amalthea and Thebe. Both are inside the orbit of the much larger moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the solar system, according to NASA. These smaller moons have curiously tilted orbits, and their paths around the planet seem to hold clues about how Jupiter and its bevy of moons moved in the past, Batygin told Mashable. As Io migrates away from Jupiter, its gravity causes a kickback — sort of like how a gun recoils when it's fired — that has contributed to the tilts of the smaller moons. "Similar to how our moon gradually moves away from Earth due to tides, Io is slowly drifting outward from Jupiter," Batygin said. By measuring Amalthea and Thebe's tilted orbits, the scientists reconstructed Io's previous position. That location, they said, should help determine the outer edge of the disk of gas and dust that once surrounded the planet. Based on where they believe the disk ended, the researchers extrapolated how fast Jupiter was spinning back then: about once per day, comparable to its spin now. Knowing Jupiter's early spin also helped them calculate its size. By applying the physics rules of spinning objects, they figured out how big Jupiter had to have been to match that rotation. The size of a young planet sheds light on its heat and interior dynamics as well. The scientists have concluded that early Jupiter must have started out extremely hot — about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a far cry from its modern average temperature of about -170 degrees. The heat suggests Jupiter had a much stronger magnetic field. That allowed the team to calculate how fast Jupiter was collecting gas and growing — about the weight of one modern-day Jupiter every million years. "It's astonishing," said Adams in a statement, "that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
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Scientists Find Jupiter Used to Be More Than Twice Its Current Size
You don't need us to tell you that Jupiter, which has more than twice the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, is the biggest game in town (other than the Sun, at least.) But believe it or not, it may have once been even bigger. Try more than double its current size, according to new research from Caltech and the University of Michigan — boasting enough volume to fit 2,000 Earths inside it with room to spare. Over time, the bloated world cooled off, contracting to the relatively humbler size it is today. The findings, published in a new study in the journal Nature Astronomy, provide a window into the Solar System's early evolution, around 3.8 million years after the first solids formed. Jupiter, with its enormous gravitational pull — and as the first planet to form — would have played an instrumental role in determining how the orbits of the nascent planets eventually settled. "Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of planet formation is essential to solving the puzzle," co-lead author Konstantin Batygin, a professor of planetary science at Caltech, said in a statement about the work. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire Solar System took shape." The clues to uncovering this early episode of Jupiter's past lie in two of its small moons, Amalthea and Thebe, which exhibit unusual orbits that aren't fully explained by their host's current size. To examine this discrepancy, the researchers bypassed existing planetary formation models and focused on aspects of the Jovian system that could be directly measured, including the orbital dynamics of the tiny moons and the planet's angular momentum. Their calculations revealed that, around 4.5 billion years ago, Jupiter must have had a radius up to 2.5 times greater than it is today. Likewise, its magnetic field — terrifyingly, as it's already 20,000 stronger than the Earth's — would have been a staggering 50 times more powerful. This dramatically shapes our idea of Jupiter in a critical moment in the Solar System's evolution, when the great disk of matter surrounding the Sun called the protoplanetary disk, which gave birth to the planets, evaporated. Mind-boggling as they are, these findings, the researchers say, are consistent with the prevailing core-accretion theory describing how giant planets formed. According to this theory, the giant planets began as heavy, solid cores floating on the farther and colder side of the protoplanetary disk, pulling in the lighter gas molecules surrounding them — first gradually, and then after passing a threshold of mass, much more rapidly. The exact details surrounding the planets' origins are still hotly contested. But the researchers say they've made the most precise measurements to date of primordial Jupiter's size, spin rate, and magnetic conditions, which will be indispensable to furthering our understanding of the Solar System's architecture. "What we've established here is a valuable benchmark," Batygin said. "A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our Solar System." More on astronomy: Astronomers Baffled by a Suspicious, Perfectly Round Sphere in Our Galaxy
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Jupiter was once double in size and 50 times the magnetic power; key details inside: Study
Source: canva New research uncovers a dramatic fact about our solar system's biggest planet, Jupiter, with a diameter of 142,984 kilometres, which is about eleven times larger than Earth's diameter. It was previously almost twice its present size and possessed a magnetic field 50 times greater than it does now. The findings were made in a study by astronomers Konstantin Batygin (Caltech) and Fred C. Adams (University of Michigan), which appeared in Nature Astronomy and is otherwise described in outlets such as Caltech News and arXiv. Their study of Jupiter's small inner moons, especially the slightly inclined orbits of Amalthea and Thebe, enabled them to make a rough estimate of the early size of the planet and its strong magnetism. This condition probably prevailed some 3.8 million years after the solar system's first solid particles condensed. A magnetic force that could fry a spacecraft? What? credit: canva Jupiter's early magnetic field strength is estimated at around 21 millitesla—roughly 50 times stronger than its current field. Such intense magnetism would have generated severe radiation belts that could easily disable or destroy an unprotected spacecraft. Even today, NASA missions like Juno contend with Jupiter's radiation by using heavily shielded electronics housed in specially designed vaults (NASA JPL). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kickstart your new journey with the Honda Shine 125 Honda Learn More Undo The magnetic history of Jupiter's field highlights that planetary magnetism must be taken into account not only in mission planning but also in comprehending the way planets engage with their surroundings and shape the solar system's architecture. Shaping the solar system credit: canva Jupiter's gravitational and magnetic influence during its giant early stage would almost certainly have had a long-term effect on the structure of the solar system. Its size and power would have affected the orbits of objects close to it, aborted planet formation in some areas, and influenced protoplanetary material trajectories. This comes in line with the "core accretion" gas giant formation model, backing up theories that Jupiter was at the centre of being a solar system architect. The findings add richness to how the early solar system developed, and highlight Jupiter's spot at the centre. What conclusions do these findings suggest? These findings not only rewrite our understanding of the solar system, let alone our knowledge about Jupiter's formative years. This study opens new arenas in the exoplanetary systems. By analysing how gas giants like Jupiter evolved so dramatically, scientists can refine models across the galaxy. As our space agencies begin to prosper and gear up for future missions to the moon and planets such as Jupiter, this insight will be important in navigating the planet's complex environment and will further unlock secrets of planetary systems that go beyond our knowledge
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Jupiter is shrinking and used to be twice as big, mind-boggling study reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, used to be even bigger, according to a new study. The cloud of gas and dust from which the sun and planets formed dissipated around 4.5 billion years ago. At that time, Jupiter was at least twice its current size, and its magnetic field was about 50 times stronger, researchers found. The findings, which the team described in a study published May 20 in the journal Nature Astronomy, could help scientists develop a clearer picture of the early solar system. "Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of planet formation is essential to solving the puzzle," study co-author Konstantin Batygin, a planetary scientist at Caltech, said in a statement. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire solar system took shape." Jupiter's immense gravity — along with the sun's — helped fashion the solar system, shaping the orbits of other planets and rocky bodies. But how the giant planet itself formed remains opaque. To gain a better picture of Jupiter's early days, the researchers studied the present-day, slightly tilted orbits of two of Jupiter's moons, Amalthea and Thebe. The paths these moons chart are similar to what they were when they first formed, but the moons have been pulled slightly over time by their larger, volcanically active neighbor Io. By analyzing the discrepancies between the actual changes and those expected from Io's nudges, the researchers could work out Jupiter's original size. Related: 'This has left us scratching our heads': Astronomers stumped by James Webb telescope's latest views of Jupiter When the solar nebula dissipated, marking the end of planet formation, Jupiter's radius would have been between two and 2.5 times its current size to give Amalthea and Thebe their current orbits, the scientists calculated. Over time, the planet has shrunk to its current size as its surface cools. Then, the team used the radius to calculate the strength of the planet's magnetic field, which would have been around 21 milliteslas — about 50 times stronger than its current value and 400 times stronger than Earth's. "It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence," study co-author Fred Adams, an astrophysicist at the University of Michigan, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES —Cloudy with a chance of mushballs: Jupiter's monster storms include softball size hailstones made of ammonia —'This has left us scratching our heads': Astronomers stumped by James Webb telescope's latest views of Jupiter —Is Jupiter's Great Red Spot an impostor? Giant storm may not be the original one discovered 350 years ago The findings sharpen researchers' view of the solar system at a critical transition point in its history. The calculations also don't depend on how Jupiter formed — a process that's still not understood in detail — relying instead on directly observable quantities. "What we've established here is a valuable benchmark," Batygin said in the statement. "A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our solar system." Jupiter is currently shrinking by about 2 centimeters per year, according to Caltech. This is due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism — a process by which planets grow smaller as they cool. As Jupiter slowly cools, its internal pressure drops, causing the planet to steadily shrink. It's unclear when this process began.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Jupiter is our solar system's biggest planet by far. It used to be twice as large: Study
Jupiter is already the biggest planet by far in our solar system, but new research suggests it was somehow once even larger than it is now. Twice as large, in fact. To put that into context, those dimensions would make the gas giant big enough to fit 2,000 Earths inside of it – if it were hollow. The shocking findings were part of a recent study in which astronomers effectively peered back in time to discover what Jupiter was like in its early years. The astronomers behind the study – Konstantin Batygin, a professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology, and Fred C. Adams, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Michigan – didn't necessarily set out to make such an extraordinary discovery. Rather, the researchers were set on better understanding Jupiter's early evolution and how our solar system developed its distinct structure. "Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of planet formation is essential to solving the puzzle," Batygin said in a press release announcing the findings. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire solar system took shape." Jupiter news: Jupiter's auroras put Earth's to shame. NASA's Webb just got a stunning look at them Jupiter is not only the largest in the solar system, but is so humongous that it's more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. The gas giant is about 11 times wider than Earth alone, with a diameter around its equator of 88,846 miles. And it's size is far from the only extreme feature that defines the fifth planet from the sun. The world is home to gigantic storms bigger than Australia, 100-mph winds pummeling its northern reaches and a rocky moon named Io orbiting it that is notoriously riddled with lava-spewing volcanoes. According to the researchers, Jupiter's gravity, often called the "architect" of our solar system, played a critical role in shaping the orbits of other planets and sculpting the disk of gas and dust from which they formed. The gas giant's influential place in shaping our solar system and is what intrigued Batygin and Adams to take a closer look at Jupiter's primordial state. According to their calculations, about 3.8 millions years after the first solid materials in our solar system formed, Jupiter was twice as large as it is now. Jupiter's magnetic field was also much more powerful at that time, about 50 times stronger than it is today. While Io is among the most well-known of Jupiter's 95 moons, the duo instead studied two tiny moons Amalthea and Thebe to reach their conclusions. The celestial objects are so small, they're not even among Jupiter's four famous Galilean moons, which does include Io. But Amalthea and Thebe orbit the planet even closer than Io and have slightly tilted orbits that allowed the astronomers to analyze "small orbital discrepancies" to calculate Jupiter's original size. "It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence," Adams said in a statement. Astronomers estimate that Jupiter is steadily shrinking to this day by up to two centimeters a year. This is because of a process by which the planet grows smaller as it gradually cools and its internal temperature drops, causing the planet to lose energy and consistently contract. Batygin and Adam say their analysis provides a snapshot of Jupiter at a critical cosmic moment when the building materials for planet formation in our solar system disappeared, locking in its core architecture. Their results also add context to planetary formation models developed over decades suggesting that Jupiter and other similar gas planets formed through a process called core accretion in which a rocky and icy core rapidly gathers gas. "What we've established here is a valuable benchmark," Batygin said in a statement. "A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our solar system." The findings were published Tuesday, May 20 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How big is Jupiter? Study suggests gas giant was once twice as large
