Jupiter, with more mass, could have become a star...?

Question

If by some means, the mass was added and the reaction started, how would it change our solar system? Be as comprehensive in your answer as possible. I am not concerned with how this happens to jupiter, and I am aware it would destroy all life on Earth (as we know it anyway). I am more interested in theories about how it would affect the gravity of the system, the orbits of the planets and anything else you can think of.

Answer 1

Most of the answers here are fairly good, except there are a few factual errors that need to be addressed. The cutoff point between planets and brown dwarves is 13 jupiter masses. All brown dwarves, except those of a very young age, derive their energy solely through gravitational contraction. Those very young brown dwarves still derive most of their energy from gravitational contraction, though some is in the form of fusion of Lithium, Deuterium and in rarer cases Beryllium. These occur at very low temperatures (4-7 million K) and only last for a short while (a couple of million years at the very most). Full nuclear fusion processes only occur when the mass of the body reaches around 80 Jupiter masses, when the density and temperature of the core of an object reaches high enough to fuse Hydrogen, which is around 8-10 million K.

So, for Jupiter to become as star, it needs 80 times its present mass.....although it wouldn't be any larger diameter wise. It would them become a very dim M class star. So dim that even where Jupiter is, you'd be flat out seeing it. Plus it would subtend a quite small linear diameter in the sky..... the same as Jupiter has now. Even its gravitational effects would be minimal. Apart from possibly Saturn (whose orbit would be different most likely), the other outer planets would orbit the centre of mass between both stars.

Answer 2

Well the Sun will go away some time in the future....Actually Jupiter can become a star someday.My theory is when the Sun blows up and becomes a dwarf star or black hole...Than maybe the gravity of Jupiter will withstand the orbits of the 2 other planets(Pluto is not considered as a planet anymore cause of how small it is and the mass)Who knows that Jupiter can become the next starvause when the Sun blows up it will become big and red and it will swallow up all the inner planets up until the Astroid Belt is there.....To understand this clearly heres what it really means;When the Sun is nearing its end than it will swell up and swallow the inner planets(Mercury,Venus,Earth,Mars)those are the inner planets that will be swallowed as the scientists say so...Jupiter may be the next star...Jupiter has a strong force of its gravitational pull and the mass of Jupiter is quite big dont know the exact...But i guess my theory is to be that the Astroid Belt and Uranus,Neptune will be kept in place cause of Jupiters gravity..But if there are more planets out there other than Uranus,Neptune and Pluto(Pluto is not considered a planet but still in our Solar System) than it might escape its gravitational pull from Jupiter cause clearly Jupiter is not a star and the Sun is..So still thats my answer

Answer 3

Very very little would change. Life would not be destoyed on Earth. The orbits of the planets would not change. The only difference is that the icy moons around Jupiter may have been liquid water, much like the Earth, and that the night sky would have been very dimly lit by the second star in our system.

If Jupiter had approximately 10 times more mass fusion would have ignited the planet into a brown dwarf. Increase it to 20 times and it would have ignated into full blown fusion, making is a very dim red star. 20 time more mass would have allowed full-scale fusion, but it would not have affected the orbits of any of the planets, which are much, much to far away. You would have to add hundreds of times the mass of Jupiter, making it a sizable fraction of the sun, to start to affect the motion of the planets.

BTW, in true double stars, the distance between the stars is very large. Alpha Centauri A and B orbit each other in an eliptical orbit ranging from 11.2 - 36 a.u. from each other, which would bring them between Saturn and Pluto's orbit. If the Earth were put in it's the same orbit around Alpha Centurai A, the B star would have little affect other than be a slightly dimmer sun in the (now incorrectly named) night sky. However, of course, planets like Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune would never form.

Check out the link - might give some insight...

Answer 4

I don't think gravity will be affcted; because as we know gravity is simply an interplay between distance and mass; even if mass is added by "some means" as you are writing; it will affect only due to athe added mass but not due to the reason that it has now become a star. But the added mass will certainly disrupt tha balance at which planets are revolving arund the sun.
Furthermore; it MAY HAPPEN because according to our hindu mythology, earth will be destryoed after some 4000 years by the evolution of 12 SUNS at the same time. All water in the Himalaya will melt and land will sink; a condition called "PRALAYA"

Answer 5

Actually, it might well not affect life on earth in any significant way. Jupiter is more than four times as far from the earth as is the sun, so radiation from it would be notably smaller than from the sun. The principal effect that Jupiter now has on earth is to cause the precession of the equinox, and increased mass would presumably cause this effect to increase. It would also cause some wobble in the earth's orbit; the possible effects of this (other than possible temperature changes) are not clear.

Answer 6

If Jupiter had become a star, we would have a binary solar system; but you're right--the effects that would have been put into play in such a case would result in a very different solar system. We probably wouldn't exist, but who knows? Maybe other forms of life might.

Answer 7

If Jupiter had more mass and it began to spin faster and if its core heated up, we would have been a binary star system and or solar system and earth would be a desert planet like Dunn. maybe Mars would have been the most habitual planet in our solar system. and the beings of Mars would be doing research on earth, who knows?

Answer 8

Our solar system now is in stable condition, so i don't think the gravity of the Jupiter could affect our solar system at all, not even Neptune have any problem with that.

Answer 9

sure


with much more mass:)

most star systems are binary