Would Jupiter steal matter from our Sun when it reach red giant phase?

In summary, the conversation discusses the potential effects of the Sun's expansion during its Red Giant phase on Jupiter. The participants consider whether Jupiter's strong gravitational pull would allow it to absorb a significant amount of the Sun's mass, or if the solar wind would erode Jupiter's atmosphere. They also question how much Jupiter would heat up during this phase and whether modeling would be necessary to determine the exact effects.
  • #1
Czcibor
288
132
It is closer to Sun than the distance between Sirius A and B.

Yes I know that the Sun wound't expand so much to touch Jupiter, however it would be anyway blowing its mass away. Would Jupiter have strong enough gravitation to absorb significant amount of mass?
 
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  • #2
I don't think so. The Sun's mass is still gravitationally bound to the Sun, and the Sun will only expand out to a little bit less than the Earth's orbit. So I think the Sun will still keep its mass from the hands of Jupiter. After all, the Sun is over 1000 times more massive.
 
  • #3
Hmm. I'm not sure if Jupiter would absorb some of the expelled matter, or if the matter would cause erosion of its atmosphere.
 
  • #4
Drakkith said:
Hmm. I'm not sure if Jupiter would absorb some of the expelled matter, or if the matter would cause erosion of its atmosphere.

yeah that's what I was thinking, would the stronger solar wind deplete Jupiters atmosphere ??

Dave
 
  • #5
The Red Giant phase solar wind will be dense, but slow. Jupiter will quite easily capture what it can, but it won't be very much - Jupiter's gravitational "catchment" is only a few Jupiter radii wider than Jupiter, which is a tiny fraction of the Sun-Jupiter distance.

A tougher question is how much Jupiter will puff up as the Sun really heats up towards the Red Giant Tip - maximum luminosity and radius. The drama is packed into a million years, with Jupiter being hit by about ~2-3 times the insolation Mercury receives. How much will Jupiter heat up? I don't think the erosion will be significant as all the mass-losing Hot-Jupiters never had a chance to cool down like Jupiter has. But a definite answer will need modelling.
 

1. Will Jupiter's gravitational pull cause it to steal matter from our Sun during its red giant phase?

No, Jupiter's gravitational pull is not strong enough to steal matter from the Sun, even during its red giant phase. In fact, Jupiter's gravity is only strong enough to capture small objects like comets and asteroids.

2. What is the red giant phase and how does it affect Jupiter's orbit?

The red giant phase is a stage in the life cycle of a star where it expands and becomes much larger and brighter. During this phase, Jupiter's orbit may be affected by the increased energy and radiation from the Sun, but its gravitational pull will remain relatively unchanged.

3. How far away will Jupiter be from the Sun during its red giant phase?

Jupiter's distance from the Sun will not change significantly during the red giant phase. The Sun will expand, but Jupiter's orbit will remain stable and its distance from the Sun will not change significantly.

4. Will Jupiter's moons be affected by the red giant phase?

Yes, Jupiter's moons will be affected by the red giant phase, but not as drastically as the planets closer to the Sun. The increased radiation and energy from the Sun may cause some changes in the moons' orbits, but they are not expected to be significantly affected.

5. Could Jupiter potentially become a red giant itself?

No, Jupiter does not have enough mass to become a red giant. Only stars with a certain mass can undergo this phase of stellar evolution. Jupiter is considered a gas giant planet and does not have enough mass to initiate nuclear fusion and become a star.

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