Jupiter could have easily become a star, and Earth would have been doomed

• The massive gas giant Jupiter could have potentially become a star in the earliest days of the solar system.
• If Jupiter had become a star, the odds of Earth hosting life (or existing at all) are slim.
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Jupiter is the mighty king of our solar system. It’s by far the largest, most massive planet, and the swirling storms that dominate its atmosphere make it instantly recognizable. It’s big. So big, in fact, that it’s actually not crazy to imagine our solar system shaking out in a way that caused Jupiter to grow large enough to become a star.

In a new piece on Universe Today, Paul Sutter proposes an interesting thought experiment using our knowledge of Jupiter as well as what scientists have learned about star formation. The short version of the story is that we should be very happy that Jupiter isn’t any bigger.

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Jupiter could have easily become a star, and Earth would have been doomed originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 21 May 2020 at 17:32:42 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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