Doomsday warning for Earth as Solar System could be thrown out of sync by rogue planet

The second gap, meanwhile, is in location. Relative to the Sun, there are no planets lying between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Prof. Kane added: “Planetary scientists often wish there was something in between those two planets. It seems like wasted real estate.”

Understanding the reason for both of these gaps, the astrophysicist explained, could offer key insights into the architecture of our solar system, as well as the evolution of the Earth.

Accordingly, Prof. Kane ran a series of dynamic computer simulations adding an extra planet between Mars and Jupiter — and considering a range of different masses for such — and observing what kind of effects it had on the orbits of the other planets.

READ MORE: ‘Forbidden’ planet whose existence violates scientific theory found

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1743697/doomsday-warning-life-earth-solar-system-space-mars-jupiter