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Universally Speaking, Earthlings Share a Nice Neighborhood
August 11, 2008We don't have spacecraft to take us outside our solar system--not yet, at least. Still, astronomers thought they had a pretty good understanding of how our solar system formed and in turn, how others formed. In the last dozen years, nearly 300 exoplanets have been discovered. Are the solar systems in which they reside indeed like our own? Without knowledge or observations to the contrary, conventional knowledge said yes. Three Northwestern University researchers questioned that assumption and explored this question. What they learned is that the solar system in which the Earth orbits our sun is actually uncommon.
Edward Thommes, Soko Matsumura and Frederic Rasio were the first to develop large-scale, sophisticated computer simulations to model the formation of planetary systems from beginning to end. Because of computing limitations, earlier models provided only brief glimpses of the process. The surprising findings of their study titled, "Gas Disks to Gas Giants: Simulating the Birth of Planetary Systems," are detailed in the August 8, 2008 issue of Science magazine.
The researchers used a range of computer simulations to explore the formation of extra-solar planetary systems. They were able to show the action of a planet-forming circumstellar disk in three different starting condition scenarios at different intervals from the beginning of the universe to 500 million years of evolution. They found that our solar system represents the rare case in which big gas giants form, but do not migrate to the inner planetary system, and the orbits of all of the planets in the system are circular and stable.
"We now know that these other planetary systems don't look like the solar system at all," said Frederic A. Rasio, senior author of the Science paper, and a theoretical astrophysicist and professor of physics and astronomy in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. "We now better understand the process of planet formation and can explain the properties of the strange exoplanets we've observed. We also know that the solar system is special and understand at some level what makes it special."
The computer simulations were performed on a supercomputing cluster operated by Northwestern's Theoretical Astrophysics Group and partially funded by a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Rasio's research group on exoplanets also is funded by a grant from the NSF Division of Astronomy.
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
"We now know that these other planetary systems don't look like the solar system at all," said Frederic A. Rasio, senior author of the Science paper, and a theoretical astrophysicist and professor of physics and astronomy in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. "We now better understand the process of planet formation and can explain the properties of the strange exoplanets we've observed. We also know that the solar system is special and understand at some level what makes it special."
The computer simulations were performed on a supercomputing cluster operated by Northwestern's Theoretical Astrophysics Group and partially funded by a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Rasio's research group on exoplanets also is funded by a grant from the NSF Division of Astronomy.
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Solar System Current Events and Solar System News RSSFollow Rosetta's final Earth boost
ESA's comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA's European Space Operations Centre will host a media briefing on that day.
'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust
Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution.
A special issue on the International Workshop of the 2008 Solar Total Eclipse
On August 1, 2008 a total solar eclipse was visible within a narrow corridor that traversed from North America to China.
Physicist makes new high-res panorama of Milky Way
Cobbling together 3000 individual photographs, a physicist has made a new high-resolution panoramic image of the full night sky, with the Milky Way galaxy as its centerpiece.
A Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings
As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.
Satellite reveals surprising cosmic 'weather' at edge of solar system
The first solar system energetic particle maps show an unexpected landmark occurring at the outer edge of the solar wind bubble surrounding the solar system.
Meteorite from September 25 fireball event recovered and presented
When Tony Garchinski heard a loud crash just after 9 p.m. on Friday, September 25 he didn't think much of it. That is, until he awoke the next morning to find the windshield of his mom's Nissan Pathfinder with a huge crack in it. Making note of the 'unusual' rocks he later found on the car's hood, Garchinski chalked the incident up to vandalism and filed a police report.
IBEX satellite finds ribbon-like structure at edge of heliosphere
The invisible structures of space are becoming less so, as scientists look out to the far edges of the solar wind bubble that separates our solar system from the interstellar cloud through which it flies.
IBEX discovers that galactic magnetic fields may control the boundaries of our solar system
The first all-sky maps developed by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, the initial mission to examine the global interactions occurring at the edge of the solar system, suggest that the galactic magnetic fields had a far greater impact on Earth's history than previously conceived, and the future of our planet and others may depend, in part, on how the galactic magnetic fields change with time.
How the Moon produces its own water
The Moon is a big sponge that absorbs electrically charged particles given out by the Sun. These particles interact with the oxygen present in some dust grains on the lunar surface, producing water.
More Solar System Current Events and Solar System News Articles
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3-D Solar System by University Games This kit is astronomical! A glow-in-the-dark solar system is a fun way to experience the wonders of astronomy. Hang the planets from your ceiling and re-create the captivating cosmos right in your bedroom. Includes all 9 planets plus 25 feet of string, 200 glow-in-the-dark adhesive stars and a planetary guide booklet. |
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Our Solar System (revised edition) by Seymour Simon (Author) Born almost 5 billion years ago at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy, our Solar System is a place filled with mystery and wonder. In the last fifty years, we have learned more than ever about the farthest reaches of our world. With dramatic full-color photographs and spacecraft images, Our Solar System takes young readers on a fascinating tour of the sun, the eight planets, and their moons, plus asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution on this new, updated edition of his much admired book about the vast and mystifying part of the universe that we live in. |
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3D solar system kit by Toysmith Build your own 29.5" glow-in-the-dark solar system mobile! This amazing kit includes a full set of snap-together planets, hanging frame and string, two strips of paint, two glow paints and paint brush. Kit also includes a bonus poster with solar system facts! Painting and assembling instructions included. Ages 7 and up. |
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There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator) Au revoir, Pluto! In this newly revised, bestselling backlist title, beginning readers and budding astronomers are launched on a wild trip to visit the now eight planets in our solar system (per the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 decision to downgrade Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet), along with the Cat in the Hat, Thing One, Thing Two, Dick, and Sally. It’s a reading adventure that’s out of this world! |
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Toysmith 4 M Solar System Planetarium # 3427 by Toy Smith Build your own glow-in-the-dark planetarium with this creative kit. Contains model with stand, brush, paint strip, instructions and more. Assembled model has a 11 3/4 inch span. |
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Learning Resources Inflatable Solar System Set by Learning Resources Explore your universe with this inflatable classroom set. Teach size and distance relationships of the planets, the moon and the sun. Learn rotation, revolution and orbit through class activities or demonstrations using this realistic looking set. Includes 36-inch Sun, plus planets and moon in proportionate sizes from 8 inches to 22 inches. Also includes a foot pump, Teacher's Activity Guide and hooks for easy hanging. Deflates easily for storage. |
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Uncle Milton Solar System In My Room by Uncle Milton An Orbiting Solar System right in your room! Now you can explore the wonders of the solar system right in your own room! Just look up at your ceiling and watch as all nine planets orbit around the light-up sun. Listen as the audio CD takes you on a fascinating tour of our solar system. Use the included light-pointer to locate each planet and make comets and meteors streak through the night sky. Ages 6 and up with Adult assistance recommended. |
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The Planets in Our Solar System (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2) by Franklyn M. Branley (Author), Kevin O'malley (Illustrator) You live on Earth, so you already know a lot about it. But do you know about its place in out solar system? For instance, it's not the largest planet. If Jupiter were a hallow ball, 1,000 Earths would fit inside it. And did you know our planet Earth takes 365 days to go around the sun, while the planet Pluto takes 248 years? This simple text by Franklyn M. Branely introduces the nine planets in our solar system and is complemented by Kevin O'Malley's full-color illustrations, which incorporate some of the newest space photographs available. How hot is it on Venus? Which planet takes longest to orbit the sun? Find out the answers in this updated version of this popular text. Kevin OMalleys often humorous illustrations depict a group of children and an astronomer as they learn all about... |
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Melissa & Doug Solar System 48pc Floor by Melissa and Doug Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle (48pc) Jigsaw puzzles stimulate eye movement, hand/eye coordination, and matching skills, which help prepare children for reading. The Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle provides out-of-this-world learning for your little one. Measuring at 24" x 36", the jumbo puzzle is great for little hands and growing minds. Our entire solar system is colorfully portrayed, and each planet is labeled for your child to identify. The puzzle is made of extra-thick cardboard and built to last! Order the Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle (48pc) today! |
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The Complete Book of Our Solar System (Complete Book Series) by School Specialty Publishing (Author) |
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