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Why do we see so many hot Jupiters around other stars, while we don't see any hot Jupiters in our own solar system?

(a) Our solar system has a frost line but other solar systems do not.
(b) Exoplanet searches are strongly biased toward finding hot Jupiters.
(c) Our Sun is too cool to heat up Jupiter.
(d) The hot Jupiters in our solar system have migrated into outer space.
(e) Other solar systems most likely did not form according to the nebular theory.

User BRBT
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

We see many hot Jupiters around other stars mainly because of detection bias, as they're easier to find with current technology, and due to planet migrations after their formation at colder distances from their stars.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason why we see so many hot Jupiters around other stars, but none in our solar system, is significantly influenced by the methods we use to find exoplanets. As per the information provided, the detection bias is the main reason behind this anomaly. Exoplanet searches are indeed strongly biased towards finding hot Jupiters because these massive planets that orbit close to their stars produce more pronounced effects such as radial velocity changes in their star or transits that block out a noticeable amount of starlight. These effects are more easily detectable with our current technology compared to the effects of smaller or more distant planets. Furthermore, the condition for giant planet formation involves the condensation of water ice, which can only happen far from the star where temperatures are sufficiently cold. Hot Jupiters likely form far out and migrate inward through planet migration within the protoplanetary disk or through gravitational encounters.

User Andrew Ellis
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