What is Jupiter largely responsible for creating regarding the Asteroid Belt configuration?
Answer
Preventing coalescence by scattering planetesimals into eccentric orbits
Jupiter plays a crucial, formative role in the architecture of the asteroid belt, which resides between Mars and Jupiter. Instead of allowing the rocky material (planetesimals) in that region to coalesce and form a full planet, Jupiter's intense gravity constantly scattered these building blocks. This scattering forced the remaining material into the eccentric and spread-out orbits characteristic of the asteroid belt seen today. If Jupiter vanished, this gravitational clearing mechanism would cease, leading to increased instability within the belt itself.
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What If Jupiter Never Existed? - YouTube
What If Jupiter Never Existed? - YouTube
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