Jupiter is not called “King of Planets” for nothing. Scientists currently believe that it consumed fragments of other planets to grow to its current size.
According to a new scientific article, the gas giant assimilated several “planetesimals” on its way to becoming the largest planet in the solar system.
The gas giant named after Greek and Roman gods is believed to have assimilated several minor “planetesimals” on its way to becoming the largest planet in the solar system.
The theory was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics by an international team of astronomers led by Yamila Miguel of the SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research.
It follows news from the previous year that NASA scientists are perplexed by the discovery that the Great Red Spot is accelerating.
In 2016, when NASA’s Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter, astronomers witnessed the extraordinary beauty of the fifth planet from the sun.
In addition to the iconic Great Red Spot, Jupiter is covered in hurricanes, giving it the appearance and aura of a Van Gogh painting.
However, what was beneath the surface was not immediately apparent.
However, Juno was able to measure differences in gravitational pull above various points on the planet’s surface, providing astronomers with insight into what lay beneath.
They discovered a larger concentration of “metals” — elements heavier than hydrogen and helium — in the planet’s core, as opposed to a homogenous and well-mixed composition.
The most likely explanation, according to the team of astronomers, is that Jupiter absorbed numerous “planetesimals” and grew in size.
Planetesimals are a class of bodies that are believed to have condensed to form Earth and the other planets early in the history of the solar system by condensing from concentrations of diffuse matter.
