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TinyDayDreamer0 OP t1_j1ooc14 wrote

Reply to comment by brainwhatwhat in What determines the space between two planets? by TinyDayDreamer0

so it means heavier planets orbit closer to sun and gas planets orbit far?

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mahatmakg t1_j1or1vl wrote

Not necessarily no. The arrangement of the planets in our solar system today came about because of the nature of the protoplanetary disc as the sun was being formed. They have basically been continuing in the same orbits for 4+ billion years. I'm not sure of your question is more about orbital mechanics or the history of formation side of things

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoplanetary_disk?wprov=sfla1

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Elohachus t1_j1ouspy wrote

If you look up Hot Jupiters and Planetary Migration, it’s possible our system is a rarity, in that there are multiple observed cases of gas giants of extremely short orbital periods and proximity to their parent stars, which is suspected to be due to an inward migration. We’re lucky Jupiter hasn’t done the same and swallowed up the terrestrial planets. It’s position also protects us from many potential incoming meteorites.

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bostondana2 t1_j1p3ekb wrote

Technically it protects us from meteors. A meteorite is only once it's landed on the Earth.

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mentive t1_j1p82lz wrote

Perhaps those have just been easier to detect, for obvious reasons.

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