Our solar system may have once harbored a third ice giant alongside Uranus and Neptune. A study published in the journal Icarus proposes that this missing world triggered a violent planetary reshuffling billions of years ago.
The hypothetical planet's gravitational influence could have disrupted existing moons around Jupiter and Uranus. It might also have played a role in the formation of other satellites, according to the research.
This scenario helps explain peculiar orbital patterns observed among the outer planets' moons. Scientists believe the extra ice giant was eventually ejected from the solar system or destroyed.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions about the early solar system's stability. If confirmed, the theory would rewrite our understanding of planetary migration during the system's formative period.
Further simulations are needed to test the hypothesis. The study's authors caution that the model remains speculative without direct observational evidence.