Why only 2 planets between the sun and the earth?

[Stone]

Please help me to answer the question?

and one more question: what would happen to the earth also to the solar system if one of the two planets was "destroyed"?

Thanks

[RickD]

Please help me to answer the question?

and one more question: what would happen to the earth also to the solar system if one of the two planets was "destroyed"?

Thanks

Stone, I'm not sure if this helps, but if there were more planets between the sun, and earth, that would mean that the earth wouldn't be in the habitable zone.

As far as what would happen to the earth if Mercury, or Venus were destroyed, I'm not sure.

[Ivellious]

Is this at all a biblical question or just a physics/astronomy question?

[Titan]

Please help me to answer the question?

and one more question: what would happen to the earth also to the solar system if one of the two planets was "destroyed"?

Thanks

1. Because that's just how it came to be. It's really as simple as that. Had there been a few more, it would be largely inconsequential to Earth's habitability for the most part.

2. I assume you mean if it was "exploded" in a Star Wars-esque way? I can guarantee you that won't happen, unless a super-advanced alien race has a fetish of blowing up uninhabitable planets, but let's just go with it as a hypothetical scenario. What we'd have to worry about is the debris from the explosion hitting us, which could be very hit-or-miss. Mercury and Venus's gravitational effects on Earth are miniscule and a sudden absence wouldn't cause any major orbital disturbances. However, any large debris could wreak havoc just like a sizeable asteroid would.

[1over137]

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Sta ... lar_system

"(fig. 4) provide a very clear vision of the stability of the planetary orbits. In this figure is represented the computed evolution of the eccentricity of the orbits of planets of the Solar System over a duration of 25 billion years (from −10 to +15 billion years). "

"If one summarizes these results on a plane graph representing the zone swept by the planetary orbits for the maximum values of their eccentricity, (fig. 5), one notes that the Solar system interns is " full ": there is no place for an additional body. One needs at least 3.5 billion years to allow a collision between Mercury and Venus, but an additional body placed in this system will probably collide more rapidly with one of already existing planets."

[Seraph]

More planets in between the Sun and the Earth probably wouldn't push Earth out of the habitable zone, since Earths distance from the sun wouldn't necessarily change, unless the planets were really massive. If they were to disappear, it also wouldn't effect Earth. In fact, if you were to swap the Sun with a black hole with the mass of the Sun, Earth's orbit still wouldn't be affected, because the gravitational motion would still be the same.

Why NOT only two planets in between the Sun and Earth?

[Stone]

Please help me to answer the question?

and one more question: what would happen to the earth also to the solar system if one of the two planets was "destroyed"?

Thanks

Stone, I'm not sure if this helps, but if there were more planets between the sun, and earth, that would mean that the earth wouldn't be in the habitable zone.
.

May be. Thanks

[Stone]

Is this at all a biblical question or just a physics/astronomy question?

Sorry, I also mean that why did God create just 2 planets between the earth and the sun? And for what? ( created the two planets also other planets for what? No life there?)

[Stone]

Please help me to answer the question?

and one more question: what would happen to the earth also to the solar system if one of the two planets was "destroyed"?

Thanks

...

2. I assume you mean if it was "exploded" in a Star Wars-esque way? I can guarantee you that won't happen, unless a super-advanced alien race has a fetish of blowing up uninhabitable planets, but let's just go with it as a hypothetical scenario. What we'd have to worry about is the debris from the explosion hitting us, which could be very hit-or-miss. Mercury and Venus's gravitational effects on Earth are miniscule and a sudden absence wouldn't cause any major orbital disturbances. However, any large debris could wreak havoc just like a sizeable asteroid would.

Thanks

[Stone]

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Sta ... lar_system
...
"If one summarizes these results on a plane graph representing the zone swept by the planetary orbits for the maximum values of their eccentricity, (fig. 5), one notes that the Solar system interns is " full ": there is no place for an additional body. One needs at least 3.5 billion years to allow a collision between Mercury and Venus, but an additional body placed in this system will probably collide more rapidly with one of already existing planets."

Does it also mean that at least 3.5 bilion years, an additional body may be placed in the system by God ?

[Stone]

More planets in between the Sun and the Earth probably wouldn't push Earth out of the habitable zone, since Earths distance from the sun wouldn't necessarily change, unless the planets were really massive. If they were to disappear, it also wouldn't effect Earth. In fact, if you were to swap the Sun with a black hole with the mass of the Sun, Earth's orbit still wouldn't be affected, because the gravitational motion would still be the same.

->I just read and understand what you said. But I don't know it is right or wrong. . .because of my limited knowledge

. . .Why NOT only two planets in between the Sun and Earth?

->If it could be 1 or 3 or 4.... planets and Earth's orbit still wouldn't be affected or the Earth probably wouldn't push Earth out of the habitable zone, God created Venus and Mercury as well as other planets for what?

[1over137]

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Sta ... lar_system
...
"If one summarizes these results on a plane graph representing the zone swept by the planetary orbits for the maximum values of their eccentricity, (fig. 5), one notes that the Solar system interns is " full ": there is no place for an additional body. One needs at least 3.5 billion years to allow a collision between Mercury and Venus, but an additional body placed in this system will probably collide more rapidly with one of already existing planets."

Does it also mean that at least 3.5 bilion years, an additional body may be placed in the system by God ?

I think it means that there could be additional bodies in the past but they collided.

God created Venus and Mercury as well as other planets for what?

Jupiter is our protector:
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/designss.html
http://www.godandscience.org/love/sld022.html

And why is there e.g. Mercury? Maybe so that we could test our General relativty theory . See precession of the perihelion of Mercury at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tests_of_g ... relativity. When Einstein finally formulated his theory he calculated the correct result.

[Stone]

....
And why is there e.g. Mercury? Maybe so that we could test our General relativty theory .
......

.

Thanks

[Stone]

I have found the answer here:

Question: "Why did God create such a vast universe and other planets if there is only life on Earth?"

Answer: The question of whether God created life on other planets is certainly fascinating. Psalm 19:1 says that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." Everything that God has made, be it you and me, or wildlife, or angels, or stars and planets, has been created for His glory. When we see a breathtaking view of the Milky Way or peer at Saturn through a telescope, we are amazed at the wonders of God!

David wrote in Psalm 8:3, " I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained." When we see the vast number of stars, then read that scientists have discovered thousands upon thousands of galaxies, each containing millions of stars, we should be stand in reverent fear of a God so immense to make all that and call it the work of His fingers! Furthermore, Psalm 147:4 tells us that "He counts the number of the stars, He calls them all by name." It is impossible for mankind to know how many stars there are, not to mention the “name” of every star! "Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together" (Isaiah 48:13).

Space and planets were created for God's glory. We know that stars and planets outside our solar system exist, and these, too, were created for the glory of God. A constantly expanding universe is yet another conjecture that has yet to be proven. The next star farther than the sun is over 4 light-years away, and that isn't even a measurable fraction of the size of the known universe, expanding or not.

As to whether there is life on other planets, we simply do not know. So far, no evidence of life on the other planets of our solar system has been found. Considering the nearness of the end times, it is unlikely that man will progress far enough to visit other galaxies before the Lord’s return. Wherever life exists or doesn’t exist, God is still the Creator and Controller of all things, and all things were made for His glory

(from link: http://www.gotquestions.org/vast-universe.html)