The Earth has been hurtling towards
Jupiter for the past 242 days,
and now it's about to make impact.
Now we're so close to the giant planet
that it's the only thing that fills our sky.
Ground temperatures on Earth
are rising uncontrollably,
our atmosphere is igniting into flames,
and the scientific community is
scrambling to provide answers.
One way that scientists could find answers
would be by looking into the past,
because this wouldn't be the first time that
Jupiter has collided with another planet.
Nearly 4.5 billion years ago,
Jupiter was involved in a violent collision
with a planet ten times the mass of the Earth.
In that case,
the collision completely transformed
Jupiter's core.
But what happened to the other planet?
And what can that tell us
about our own planet's chances
of surviving a crash
into the gas giant?
To get some answers,
let's travel back to 4.5 billion years ago,
when Jupiter was just a young planet
trying to find its place in the Universe.
Back then, Jupiter's gravitational pull
became 30 times more powerful
in just a fraction of a million years.
This destabilized the orbits
of nearby infant planets,
and caused some of them to crash into Jupiter.
It's believed that one such planet
was 10 times the mass of Earth,
and it was mainly a silicate ice core.
This planet hit Jupiter
with an impact speed of 46 km/s (29 mi/s).
Jupiter only lost a small amount of mass
from the collision, but its original core
was completely changed.
Before the impact,
Jupiter had a dense central core
of heavy elements,
and the rest of the planet was made up of
hydrogen and helium.
After the impact,
the infant planet's silicate ice core
merged with Jupiter's,
causing Jupiter's core to become diluted.
The heavy elements spread out
and mixed with the outer layers of Jupiter.
While this collision was a
defining moment for Jupiter,
it meant the end of the road
for the other planet.
So what are the odds that Earth's fate
would be any different?
Let's find out.
The Earth orbits around the Sun
at an average velocity of 29.78 km/s (18.5 mi/s).
At this speed,
if the Earth were to just leave its orbit
around the Sun and head straight for Jupiter,
it would take about 242 days to get there.
Throughout our journey,
Jupiter would shine like a bright star,
growing bigger day by day,
hour by hour.
By day 6,
Jupiter would appear as bright as our moon.
Soon we would start to notice our daylight
becoming dimmer.
We'll only get about 50 percent
of our normal sunlight
when we reach Mars' orbit.
Luckily for us,
the Earth's atmosphere would act as a buffer,
so we wouldn't experience the cold right away.
But that will only last a while,
so you'll need to invest in some
heavy-duty winter gear.
To put it in perspective,
Mars has a surface temperature
of -63 °C (-145 °F),
so that's basically what
we'd have to look forward to.
Once we speed through Mars' orbit
we'll pass through the asteroid belt.
We'll get to see beautiful meteor showers
lighting up the sky,
but we'll also be at risk with
colliding with some of those meteors,
so let's keep moving.
After 242 days of
traveling through our Solar System,
we would finally reach our destination:
Jupiter.
As the Earth is pulled into Jupiter,
our planet's velocity could
increase until it reaches 60 km/s (37 mi/s).
That's 250 times faster than an airplane flies,
so you'll want to hold on tight.
Oh, and did we mention that
Jupiter has 79 confirmed moons
orbiting it at all times?
So there's a serious risk that we could
collide with any of them as the Earth
is pulled in closer.
And if we do happen to avoid all those moons,
things would only get worse.
As we crash into Jupiter,
both planets' atmospheres will be compressed,
rapidly increasing the temperature,
and essentially setting the air on fire.
But at least we won't have to worry about
colliding with Jupiter's core,
because we'll never make it there.
Our planet is too small and
would burn up in the atmosphere
before that ever happens.
But this would have a huge impact on Jupiter,
as the Earth's remains
would completely mix into its atmosphere.
So if you ever notice our planet
going off course and heading towards Jupiter,
you might want to jump off along the way.
Maybe right as we pass over Mars.
And if you want any pointers on how to make
the red planet your new home,
check out our new show, "How To Survive."
The advice you find there
might help you set up your own
little Martian colony.
But that's a story for another WHAT IF.