If the solar system only contained Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Mercury, and Neptune, Jupiter's gravity would have a profound impact on the dynamics of the system:
- Strong gravitational influence: Jupiter is the most massive planet in the solar system, with a surface gravity of about 24.79 m/s², which is roughly 2.5 times Earth's gravity
. Its immense gravitational pull strongly affects the orbits of other planets and smaller bodies.
- Orbital perturbations: Jupiter's gravity can alter the orbits of nearby planets and small bodies. It acts as a gravitational bully, stabilizing or destabilizing orbits. For example, Jupiter's gravity has historically prevented some planets from colliding or being ejected from the solar system
- Asteroid belt effects: Jupiter's gravity maintains the structure of the asteroid belt (if it existed in this reduced system), preventing planet formation by causing smaller bodies to collide and fragment rather than coalesce. It also balances the Sun's pull on asteroids, stabilizing their orbits
- Redirecting asteroids and comets: Jupiter can pull asteroids and comets out of their usual orbits, sometimes capturing them, sometimes slingshotting them toward the inner planets, including Earth. This dual role means Jupiter can both protect and endanger inner planets by influencing impact rates
- Influence on planetary orbits: Without other gas giants like Saturn and Uranus, Jupiter's gravitational influence on Mars, Earth, Mercury, and Neptune would be even more pronounced, potentially causing shifts in their orbits over long timescales
In summary, Jupiter's gravity in a solar system with just these five planets would dominate the orbital dynamics, strongly influencing the stability and evolution of the planetary orbits and small body populations. It would act as a major gravitational anchor and perturbing force, shaping the system's architecture and the impact environment for the inner planets.
