Our Solar System Lost a Super-Earth, Scientists Think

Scientists believe our Solar System may once have had a planet that no longer exists, a missing world potentially larger than Earth known as a Super-Earth. Unlike the rocky planets we see today, this hypothetical world may have formed in the early Solar System before powerful gravitational forces and the movement of giant planets reshaped its destiny. Some models suggest it could have been thrown into interstellar space, while other theories explore whether it collided with the Sun or helped shape the orbits of the planets we know today. The idea remains a scientific hypothesis, not a confirmed discovery, but it could help explain why our Solar System looks so different from many planetary systems astronomers have found around other stars. Discover what researchers think happened to this lost planet, how it might have changed Earth’s history, and why a world that vanished billions of years ago could still leave clues in the Solar System today.

Credit:
Planetary Engulfment Illustration: By NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI), https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/planetary-engulfment-illustration/
Kepler Space Telescope spacecraft model 2: By NASA - https://science.nasa.gov/toolkits/spacecraft-icons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76268556
MilkywaykeplerfovbyCRoberts: By Carter Roberts - http://kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/Images/photogallery/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6732708
The Kepler Mission Star Field Lithograph: By NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/the-kepler-mission-star-field-lithograph/
Kepler’s First Light: By NASA/Ames/J. Jenkins, https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/keplers-first-light/
Venus Transit 2012 from Solar Dynamics Observatory: By NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3940/
Venus Transit 2012 Composited Visuals: By NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3941/
TESS with techs high res: By NASA - https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12782, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67288737
How Will TESS Look for Exoplanets?: By NASA/MIT/TESS, https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tess/how-will-tess-look-for-exoplanets/
CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0:
02 Sun Structure: By Image Editor - https://flic.kr/p/5i8H9T, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97256279
CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0:
GJ 1214b: By ESO/L. Calçada - http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1047a/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21768347
GJ 1214b in transit: By ESO/L. Calçada - http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1047b/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26153124
Animation is created by Bright Side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/

Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en

Stock materials (photos, footages and other):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.