Orbital Decay

[SaganWannaBeWannaBe]

What would happen if Jupiter's orbit started to decay? Would there be a point before which we'd feel no effect on Earth or would we experience something relatively soon (regardless of the relative positions of Earth and Jupiter in their orbits.)

[swansont]

Do we notice anything now, given the large variations in our relative distances? We orbit at 1 AU, and Jupiter's is about 5. So we range from 4 to 6 AU in separation.