Monday, March 12, 2018 at 4:00 PM

JILA Auditorium

Nate Kaib, University of Oklahoma

"Exploring the Timing of the Outer Solar System's Orbital Instability"

Abstract:

Evidence has mounted that the solar system's giant planets underwent a major dynamical instability sometime early in their history, but there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding its exact timing and duration. While this instability has been temporally linked to the bombardment of the Moon (and inner planets) approximately four billion years ago, it is not clear that the terrestrial planets could survive such an instability. Here I will demonstrate that preserving the inner solar system's planetary architecture through a giant planet instability is very improbable. Moreover, I will show that an earlier instability greatly alters the formation of the terrestrial planets. Many times these instability-shaped terrestrial planets form with masses and orbits similar to our own.

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