Our solar system is unique from others in the neighborhood and scientists are now suggesting Jupiter played an integral role in the matter.
According to Discovery News, authors of a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noticed some clear differences with other solar systems. Using the "Grand Track" theory, they hypothesized Jupiter bowled its way through the system flinging and destroying smaller planets and other bodies out of the way.
"Now that we can look at our own solar system in the context of all these other planetary systems, one of the most interesting features is the absence of planets inside the orbit of Mercury," study co-author Gregory Laughlin, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California - Santa Cruz, said in a press release. "The standard issue planetary system in our galaxy seems to be a set of super-Earths with alarmingly short orbital periods. Our solar system is looking increasingly like an oddball."
Per their theory, Saturn was able to offset Jupiter's movements and allow it to move back to where it is orbiting the sun now. What came after was the formation of planets within Jupiter's orbit, such as Earth.
"Anytime a theory says 'Well this happened and then this happened,' you need to be naturally suspicious. I think that is completely, absolutely valid and the right standpoint to take," Laughlin told Discovery News. "They're pretty violent collision because the planetesimals are on very different paths. They collide with velocities of about 5 kilometers per second -- a couple of miles per second -- which when you have 100-kilometer objects they're just incredibly energetic and damaging events.
"If our solar system had started out as a normal, standard-issue solar system, it shows that the Grand Tack could have very handily kind of wiped the slate clean and destroyed any planets that originally were interior to Mercury's orbit."
