New research indicates that Jupiter played a crucial role in determining the fate of Earth even before the planet formed. A study led by scientists at Rice University in Houston reveals that Jupiter”s formation created gaps in the early solar system, which prevented essential materials from spiraling into the sun.
The findings suggest that as Jupiter grew, it obstructed the flow of gas and dust towards the inner solar system. This process was vital in keeping the building blocks that would eventually lead to the formation of Earth, Venus, and Mars from being drawn into the sun. “Jupiter didn”t just become the biggest planet — it set the architecture for the whole inner solar system,” stated study co-lead Andre Izidoro, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University.
The research utilized computer simulations to model how Jupiter”s swift growth during its initial years influenced the surrounding disk of gas and dust that encircled the young sun. The results demonstrated that Jupiter”s substantial gravitational pull generated ripples in this disk, creating disturbances that formed ring-like structures. These structures acted as “cosmic traffic jams,” trapping small dust particles that might have otherwise fallen into the sun, allowing them to accumulate into the rocky components necessary for planet formation.
As Jupiter expanded, it effectively divided the solar system into distinct inner and outer regions, inhibiting material from mixing freely between these zones. This separation helped preserve unique isotopic signatures found in meteorites, with different types originating from the inner and outer solar system. Additionally, it established new areas where planetesimals could form at a later time.
“Our model connects two previously unrelated observations — the isotopic fingerprints in meteorites and the dynamics of how planets form,” remarked Baibhav Srivastava, a graduate student at Rice University who co-led the study with Izidoro.
The research also sheds light on the timing of the formation of some primitive meteorites, which occurred millions of years after the earliest solid bodies in the solar system emerged. These later-formed meteorites, known as chondrites, are highly valued for their pristine nature, containing tiny molten droplets called chondrules that preserve a chemical record of the solar system”s formative days.
Izidoro noted, “The mystery has always been: Why did some of these meteorites form so late, 2 to 3 million years after the first solids?” The study”s findings indicate that Jupiter”s influence was key in establishing the conditions for the delayed formation of these materials.
By modifying the structure of the disk and halting the influx of material, Jupiter likely triggered a second generation of planetesimals, some of which eventually became the chondritic meteorites that continue to fall to Earth today. The same kinds of ring structures predicted by the models are now observed in young star systems, as seen through the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, reinforcing the idea that giant planets actively shape their environments during formation.
“Our own solar system was no different,” Izidoro emphasized. “Jupiter”s early growth left a signature we can still read today, locked inside meteorites that fall to Earth.” The complete findings of the study were published on October 22 in the journal Science Advances.
