Our solar system may once have been populated by a whole different set of planets than the ones we know now. And then Jupiter obliterated them.
Led by Cal Tech planetary scientist Konstantin Batygin and Gregory Laughlin of the University of California, a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that certain quirks seen in our solar system could be explained by Jupiter coming in and smashing its original planetary companions to smithereens.
The so-called Grand Tack theory suggests Jupiter got pulled toward the sun after its formation. Based on their calculations, they think Jupiter could have done those planets in.
“Jupiter’s ‘Grand Tack’ may well have been a ‘Grand Attack’ on the original inner solar system,” Laughlin said.
