Part 4/14:
Jupiter is often called the Solar System's guardian, protecting Earth from asteroid impacts by acting as a gravitational vacuum cleaner. This comforting narrative paints Jupiter as a giant protector. But the reality is more nuanced.
While Jupiter can indeed deflect some dangerous objects, it also has the capacity to send them hurtling toward Earth. Its massive gravity—318 times that of Earth—can capture or eject asteroids and comets. Yet, instead of solely acting as a shield, Jupiter’s gravitational disturbances often unsettle the asteroid belt, creating unstable orbital zones, or resonances, which can fling space debris in random directions.