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We have an idea of what the planets around the sun were like: It was violence and chaos. However, we are still learning about the violence. Modern models show that at some point after their formation, the giant planets went through a phase of great instability so that one or two bodies in size. Uranus or Neptune he was thrown into the interstellar space. When this happens, we can find discoveries in unexpected places in the solar system, such as the moon Jupiterr and, in particular, Uranus.
A recent article in the Icarus analyzed 122 cases of such instability to see how “abandoned” planetary satellites would react. The researchers concluded that it would be very difficult to explain the current state of the moon Uranus without some form of violent instability. And such instability is only seen in models where there were much larger planets than we see today.
Perhaps, the authors say, the moons of Uranus were disrupted twice before: First with an impact that shook the earth, and then with a close encounter between large planets during instability. That chaos, fueled by the presence of one or more planets that were later ejected, would have destroyed and rebuilt the lunar system into what we see today.
The Solar System is Chaos
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune did not always have their current place in the solar system. According to the model of planets-unstable, they were born a little closer to the Sun and closer. After millions of years, they moved to their modern ways.
But there is a detail of this example that does not match what we have seen. For one thing, the current orbits of Jupiter and Saturn are circular, while there are other objects such as the Kuiper belt that seem to be supposed to keep Neptune from moving. In comparison, the planets did not reach where they are today.
So it is possible that the planets around the sun at one time had many planets, and these are the ones that “pushed the others.” Under this view, the picture of the solar system fits perfectly. The problem is, those bodies, if they were there, are gone—they were taken out and no traces or fragments were left behind. This leaves the idea of missing planets in the realm of speculation, awaiting sufficient evidence to prove it.
Uncommon Moon
New Icarus Research has tested the rare planet hypothesis using the moons of Uranus as direct evidence. It used 122 simulations of the evolution of the solar system. In 85 percent of cases, the moon of Uranus fell. Only a few instances of his moon survived, and, of all of them, the ideas of lost and lost planets were very well matched.
The report focuses on Miranda, the smallest moon in the Uranus system. Astronomers consider it to be the most unusual of the planets orbiting the sun. It is patchy, as if sewn together from fragments, very icy for its size, and very small compared to all the other moons of Uranus. It also works geologically.
Astronomers think Miranda is debris from a massive body. This study reinforces the idea and shows that it is a clear example of planetary instability.
