Because of Jupiter, Mars Size So Little

From the computer simulation and a report published in the journal Nature, found that the planet Mars formed over 2 to 4 million years faster than the Earth. It enriches the information why the planet's size is very small.

For information, planet Earth was formed within 50 to 100 million years. As for Mars, which formed in the faster, has a mass only 11 percent of Earth's mass. The cause of all these phenomena is the migration conducted by the planet Jupiter.

"If Jupiter moves from place to a distance of 1.5 AU (1 AU is the distance of the Sun-Earth 1x) from the Sun and return to the starting position, then the motion of the planets that affect the density of planet-forming materials in the solar system," said Kevin Walsh , researchers from Southwest Research Institute, quoted from the Astronomy Now, June 13, 2011.

As an illustration, the present position of Jupiter at 5.2 AU. However, from a computer simulation model, indicated that the outer planets of our solar system orbit before moving permanently occupy their current position. As they move, they are redistributing matter in the solar system.

Transit of the planet Jupiter to a position near the position of Earth and Mars during the planet-forming material is made available in the region moving. As a result, Mars is also seeking to establish his lack of raw materials.

The movement of the planet Jupiter which depart near the Sun when the solar system was young and returned to his position and ruffled material around him also explain, why the rocks and material that exist in the asteroid belt composed of different elements.

"This big puzzle slowly began to be solved," said Walsh. "Simulations show that the migration of Jupiter consistent with the presence of the asteroid belt and the belt is also explain the content that previously could not be understood," he said.

As is known, the asteroid belt consists of random materials include dry rocks and rocks containing water. When the Earth formed, the Earth is also not possible to have water. The cause of the presence of water is probably due to the existing material in the asteroid belt that contains water, landed on Earth due to the influence of the movement of Jupiter.