What would happen if Jupiter wasn’t there

Question: What would happen if Jupiter wasn’t there
- Keywords:
  jupiter,
  planet,
  space
Asked by game1pub to SJ P, Ryan, Rebekah T, Martin M, Julian, Clara Ferreira, Ben D, amberfitzpatrick, Alessio S on 26 Apr 2024.
- Martin McCoustra answered on 26 Apr 2024:
  
  If it was never formed then the Solar System might look a bit different… If it suddenly disappeared then the forces that it exerts on the rest of the Solar System would disappear and this would result in a change in how the Solar System is arranged. Since Jupiter is essentially pulling us away from the Sun a little, it might mean that the Earth’s orbital radius will get smaller potentially increasing the Solar input to our atmosphere and driving a runaway Greenhouse Effect.