Jupiter barrier

The Jupiter barrier is the name for a region of the Solar System characterized by the gravitational influence of Jupiter on passing interstellar and in-system objects. Specifically, it is the region where these objects (which include asteroids and comets) are attracted to Jupiter and are either captured in its orbit or destroyed through impacting the planet.

Jupiter has been nicknamed the Solar System's "cosmic vacuum cleaner" by astronomers who speculate that its gravity reduces the amount of objects reaching the inner Solar System, protecting the smaller planets from impact events. Because such collisions can nearly, if not completely, destroy all life on a planet, the protection of the Jupiter barrier may have supported the evolution of biological complexity on Earth.

See also

• Jupiter trojan
• Late Heavy Bombardment

References

• Mikhail Yakovlevich Marov, Hans Rickman (eds.): Collisional Processes in the Solar System. Springer 2001, ISBN 0792369467, pp. 80–82
• Julio A. Fernandez: Comets: Nature, Dynamics, Origin, and their Cosmogonical Relevance. Springer, 2006, ISBN 9781402034954, pp. 136–138
• Harold F. Levison, Luke Dones, Martin J. Duncan: : The Origin Of Halley-Type Comets: Probing The Inner Oort Cloud
• Luke Dones, Paul R. Weissmann, Harold F. Levison, Michael J. Duncan: Oort Cloud Formation and Dynamics