Venus might not be a sweltering, waterless hellscape today, if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the sun, according to new UC Riverside research.
Jupiter has a mass that is two-and-a-half times that of all other planets in our solar system -- combined. Because it is comparatively gigantic, it has the ability to disturb other planets' orbits.
Early in Jupiter's formation as a planet, it moved closer to and then away from the sun due to interactions with the disc from which planets form as well as the other giant planets. This movement in turn affected Venus.
Observations of other planetary systems have shown that similar giant planet migrations soon after formation may be a relatively common occurrence. These are among the findings of a new study published in the Planetary Science Journal.
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