Jupiter: A Failed Star? The Solar System with two stars. By: Kevin Korinek

Facts about Jupiter  Weight: Earth Masses  Distance: AU  Known Satellites: 63 (as of 2003)  4 Large (Galilean) satellites  Light colored zones are rising gases (cooling as they rise)  Dark Colored belts are sinking and being reheated   Contains about the same amount of H and He as the sun  Due to it’s failure as a star?  Radiates 1.5 times the amount of heat it receives.

Jupiter vs. The Sun  Jupiter is.1% of the Sun’s Mass  Both Comprised Mainly of Hydrogen and Helium

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Jupiter… How close was it to a star?  “If it had been any denser, it might have ignited, like our Sun. Instead, Jupiter has remained a giant storm of hot, swirling gases. “ (  If it had been 4 times more massive, it would have been a star.  At this point it would have undergone Thermonuclear fusion and “Ignited”  We can learn from Jupiter to see how Protostars appear, before the fusion processes begin.

Jupiter as a Star  If we were a binary system, a planet would be the same temperature as earth if it were at 1.4 AU (Mars is at 1.6 AU).  Most Binary Stars have eccentric orbits, it is difficult for bodies to exist.  Had Jupiter ignited life could not have existed on earth.

Binary Systems  Alpha Centauri A and B  Average of 23 AU apart (ranges from 11 to 35 AU)  Each star has a safe zone of 3 AU away (planets could survive)  Planets outside the safe zone would be ejected  Approximately 2/3 of all stars are in a binary system  1/2 of the stars near to the sun are Multiple systems

Types of Binary  Six Main Types:  Apparent  Only appear to be related, normally great distances apart.  Astrometric  Only one of the stars can be seen through a telescope.  Eclipsing  One star eclipses the other temporarily lowering the brightness.

Types of Binary Systems  Spectroscopic  Absence of resolution of any star through a telescope  Spectrum  No star can be resolved  Visual  Both stars can be resolved through a telescope

Extraterrestrial Life  Binary Systems  If Jupiter became a star, no earth.  Smallest change  Strict guidelines for life  Majority Stars, Multiple star system  Stronger Gravity  More Mass taken up

It’s a good thing we aren’t a binary system  We wouldn’t exist  But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible  Life is very specific  Smallest changes can be harmful  But they can also be beneficial  THE END!