Hypothetically, if we were to change the size/mass of one planet (use Earth as an example), what effect could that have on its orbit and location (distance from Sun) in the solar system?
Quoting: J.William DellOthers have addressed the other questions.
In this case, considering it as only a 2-body problem, the effects would be negligible. The earth would retain essentially the same orbit.
Remember that guy Galileo and his Pisa experiment? The mass of an object does not affect its motion in a gravitational field (ignoring miniscule GR effects).
A feather and a hammer fall at the same acceleration in a vacuum.
If the earth were to suddenly become 10x more massive, its orbit would remain essentially unchanged - The Sun-Earth center of mass about which it orbits would change very slightly.
What effects could a larger planet Earth have on the other planets in this theoretical system?
Appreciate any responses.
Kindest Regards
J.William Dell
Quoting: J.William DellIt depends how massive the new earth became. If it were sufficiently massive to increase the perturbations from (and to) Venus, Mars and Jupiter it may acquire a new stable orbit; it may take on a chaotic orbit leading to ejection or collision with the Sun or one of the other planets; it may cause the entire system to go chaotic as it perturbs Venus, Mars and Jupiter from their orbits.
Unlike Nan's PX, it would still be very distant from the other planets so I would think it would have to get quite massive to cause chaos.
Have fun.
R.