Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy
Modeling An Extra Planet's Effects On Earth, Emily Simpson
Modeling An Extra Planet's Effects On Earth, Emily Simpson
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications
Orbital dynamics play a crucial role in determining the habitability of exoplanets, and many models have been developed to study the dynamical evolution of broader planetary system structure. To further investigate the implications this has regarding planetary habitability, this project simulated the evolution of the Solar System with an additional planet orbiting in place of the Asteroid Belt using the Gravitational Rigid-body InTegrator (GRIT) package. 21 total simulations were run for 100,000 years with varying values for the extra planet’s mass (from 0.01 to 10 Earth masses) and orbital parameters (based on the 4 most massive asteroids in the Asteroid …