If such a cataclysmic event did occur, Jupiter wouldn’t slam into the Sun overnight. The journey would likely take decades or even centuries. As the Sun’s gravity gradually reeled it in, Jupiter’s orbit would shrink in a process known as spiraling orbital decay. Slowly, the gas giant would draw closer, entering increasingly tighter orbits until it reached a point of no return.
Eventually, Jupiter would cross the Roche limit, a critical boundary just under 900,000 kilometers (556,000 miles) from the Sun. At this range, the Sun’s tidal forces would begin to tear Jupiter apart. Its perfectly round shape would distort into an oblong, stretched form. The planet would begin to disintegrate, its atmosphere forming a glowing ring of gas and dust around the Sun, known as an accretion disk.
