Earth Gets a New Neighborhood by Ordering Planets From Largest To Smallest?
If the planets are rearranged from the smallest to the largest, Earth gets the 5th place, and the neighbouring planets would be Neptune and Venus. This thought experiment takes us on a wild ride through the universe, moving each planet from its current location to a new location based on the size.
Let’s have a look at what would be happen in each planets and the life on Earth?
Planets Ordered from Largest to Smallest
Giant Jupiter Gets Cozy with the Sun
Jupiter is the giant of our solar system, more massive than all the other planets combined. It’s more than twice as massive as the rest of the planets put together. If Jupiter moved to where Mercury is, it would orbit much closer to the Sun, shrinking its year from 12 Earth years to just 90 days. The intense heat from the Sun would raise Jupiter’s average temperature to around 167°C (333°F), causing its atmosphere to heat and swell dramatically.
This intense heat will also wreak havoc on its moons. Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, that might hold oceans with their icy surfaces, would lose all their water vaporized into space.
Saturn Swings into Venus’s Orbit
The ringed beauty of our solar system, “Saturn”, moving to Venus’s orbit would significantly change its environment. The temperature on Saturn would jump from -140°C (-220°F) to around 55°C (131°F). This heat would cause Saturn’s iconic rings to disappear as the ice particles melted and dust got blown away by solar winds.
Saturn’s magnetic field might interact with the Sun’s magnetic field, creating new and possibly strange magnetic patterns.
Uranus in the Habitable Zone (Goldilocks Zone)
Uranus would take Earth’s place in the habitable zone, where conditions are just right for liquid water. Its orbit would shorten from 84 years to just one Earth year, and it would bask in the Sun’s rays, warming up significantly. With the extra heat, water ice in Uranus’s atmosphere could melt into liquid water. Uranus’s atmosphere already contains carbon-based molecules, and now it would have plenty of energy from the Sun.
However, high atmospheric pressure and the lack of a solid surface make it unlikely that Uranus could become a new Earth. Its moons could offer better conditions for life.
Neptune Heats Up Near Mars
Moving Neptune to Mars’s orbit would warm it up from its frigid -200°C (-328°F) to much more bearable temperatures. Neptune’s orbit would shrink from 165 Earth years to just under two years. However, the increased energy from the Sun would likely make its already violent storms even more intense.
Specific Impact on Earth
In this new arrangement, Earth would be the fifth planet from the Sun, squeezed between Neptune and Venus. If Earth got too close to Neptune, it could end up becoming one of Neptune’s moons. This might be our best-case scenario in this setup.
With less energy from the Sun, Earth’s surface water would freeze, and all life would likely perish except for some deep-sea creatures near hydrothermal vents. The extreme cold and lack of sunlight would make Earth inhospitable for humans and most other life forms.
Venus Further from the Sun
Venus, now further from the Sun, would see its thick sulfuric clouds condense, forming acid rain and sulfuric acid ice. The extreme greenhouse effect would lessen, but it would not be enough to make Venus habitable.
Mars and Mercury Becoming Ice Boxes
Mars and Mercury, now further from the Sun, would become ice boxes. Without significant atmospheres to trap heat, both planets would experience drastic drops in temperature, making them even more inhospitable than they are today.
Reflection on the Stability and Habitability of Earth
Earth’s position in the Goldilocks zone is perfect for life. This delicate balance ensures we have the right conditions for liquid water, a stable climate, and life as we know it. Let’s hope our solar system stays just the way it is for a long, long time.
Conclusion
Reorganizing the planets by size would wreak havoc on our solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune would undergo dramatic changes, and Earth’s new position would likely spell doom for all life. This thought experiment shows us just how important the current arrangement of the planets is for maintaining the stability and habitability of our solar system.
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