Planet 10 times Earth's mass may have smacked Jupiter long ago

[Zorro]

Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, may have been smacked head-on by an embryonic planet 10 times Earth's mass not long after being formed, a monumental crash with apparent lasting effects on the Jovian core, scientists said on Thursday.

The violent collision, hypothesized by astronomers to explain data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft, may have occurred just several million years after the birth of the sun roughly 4.5 billion years ago following the dispersal of the primordial disk of dust and gas that gave rise to solar system.

"We believe that impacts, and in particular giant impacts, might have been rather common during the infancy of the solar system. For example, we believe that our moon formed after such an event. However, the impact that we postulate for Jupiter is a real monster," astronomer Andrea Isella of Rice University in Houston said.

Under this scenario, the still-forming planet plunged into and was consumed by Jupiter.

https://news.yahoo.com/planet-10-times-earths-mass-191044294.html

[jberryhill]

1. Jupiter had it coming

You know how those gaseous giants can be.

[FBaggins]

2. Plus the statute of limitations ran years ago

Nothing to be done about it now

[Blue_true]

5. At least it was not a hit and run, more like a hit and get arse whupped. nt

[Princess Turandot]

6. A RICOchet, perhaps... nt

[Blue_true]

7. Who knows, it's not like anybody saw it happen. nt

[Sanity Claws]

3. what about smacking Uranus?

[MsLeopard]

4. I see what you did there!

Good one!! 😁

[JohnnyRingo]

8. The universe is a dangerous place.

And yet the vastness of space is our greatest ally.