25 Aug , 18:58
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Jupiter turned out to be younger than previously thought: scientists determined the exact age of the gas giant
An international scientific team, uniting researchers from Japan and Italy, has made a breakthrough in understanding the history of our Solar System. According to their research, published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports, the largest planet in the Solar System — Jupiter — formed 1.8 million years after the birth of the system itself.
The key to unlocking the gas giant's age was chondrules — miniature solidified droplets of molten silicate material that can be found in meteorites. Using an advanced artificial intelligence model, scientists determined that these cosmic "balls" up to a millimeter in size formed exactly 1.8 million years after the formation of the Solar System, which indicates the exact moment of Jupiter's birth.
Over the 4.5 billion years of its existence, Jupiter has transformed into a true cosmic giant. Its powerful gravity significantly influenced the orbits of small rocky and icy bodies — planetesimals. Collisions of these objects at high temperatures led to the formation of chondrules, which subsequently, billions of years later, reached Earth as part of meteorites.
"Our model also shows that the formation of chondrules coincides with the intensive accumulation of nebular gas by Jupiter, which led to it reaching enormous sizes," explained study co-author Dr. Diego Turrini.
The researchers note that studying chondrules of different ages opens a unique opportunity to trace the chronology of planet formation and gain a more complete understanding of the evolution of our Solar System.
