There is no doubt that Earth is a unique planet since it is the only planet in our solar system that has developed life. But what if it is not the only one out there? What if there is another Earth?
Does Earth have a sister planet?
Among all the planets in the solar system, our Earth is unique because it is the only planet on which life has evolved. But what if we got a competitor? What if a second Earth appeared out of nowhere, then there would be two different scenarios. The first is the destruction of both planets and the second has an unexpected but rather logical ending.
However, let’s start with the disaster scenario. The second Earth with the same conditions could exist only if it received absolutely the same amount of sunlight as our planet.
The orbit of our Earth is perfect for receiving the required amount of solar heat. If we were a little farther away, the entire surface of our planet would resemble Antarctica, and if the Earth were a little closer to the Sun, we would all be living in a vast desert inhabited by only a few living creatures. So, for the second Earth to be identical to ours, it would have to follow the orbit of our planet.
Two massive objects can exist close to each other?
The union of the Earth and the Moon is a good example, but if the second object were as heavy and large as our planet, there would not be enough room for both. The gravity of two Earths would be a big problem. The two worlds would collide because they would be pulled toward each other.
This process would last hundreds of millions of years, and in the end, the two planets would turn into one huge world. And their remnants would fly around the newly formed planet, much like the rings around Saturn, or one of the planets would push the other out of its orbit. In this case, one of the Earths would hurtle toward the Sun and burn like a match in its atmosphere.
It should also be remembered that the Earth is moving at a speed of 67,000 miles per hour at any given time. That is more than 80 times faster than the speed of sound. Now imagine two giant planets moving toward each other at such a speed.
Even a microscopic organism living in the maw of a volcano would have no chance of surviving the collision of two Earths.
Earth’s twin
Even the moon would be torn to pieces by the blast wave, but let’s imagine that Earth’s twin is orbiting in a different orbit somewhere between Mars and Earth. Even in this situation, people’s lives would be changed forever.
By the way, the theory that Earth could have a twin has been around for a long time. The scientists of the past believed that the second planet could be hiding on the opposite side of the Sun. Thanks to modern technologies and astronomy, we know that this theory is not true. Otherwise, our telescopes and other devices would have already picked up some signals from this planet.
Scientists study space objects thousands of light-years away from us, so they would certainly notice another world nearby.
But be that as it may, let’s assume that the second Earth really exists and that we have discovered it recently. The entire field of astronomy and astrophysics would immediately be funded to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. The study of the twin of the Earth will become a priority goal for people. Experts will come up with hundreds of hypotheses about what the second Earth looks like and what is going on on it.
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