JUPITER THE DESTROYER?

As beneficial as Jupiter is to Earth, it also has a destructive side

Using computer simulations, Dr Jonti Horner of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia examined how the presence of Jupiter affects the rate of impacts on Earth for three different types of objects: asteroids, short-period comets and long-period comets. He found that only in the last case was Jupiter’s effect unambiguously beneficial. For asteroids and short-period comets, on the other hand, Jupiter’s presence appeared to increase the collision rate. However, this was relative to the complete absence of a planet-sized object in Jupiter’s orbit, which isn’t necessarily realistic. In models where there is a planet there, but significantly smaller than the real Jupiter, the rate of collisions turned out to be enormous. Jupiter may not be the best-case scenario, but it’s not the worst either.…

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All About Space Annual (Digital) - 1 Issue, All About Space Annual (2024)

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