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Hustler-1 t1_j7ut83w wrote

Reply to comment by Kveldwulf in What's the importance of our solar system having so many moons? by [deleted]

More like a big broom vs a shield. Jupiters gravity could direct a rock towards Earth just as well it could divert one.

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HowsTheBeef t1_j7vored wrote

Not really, because of the size and mass of Jupiter it will trap any smaller asteroids in its gravitational well. Additionally, because it has a more distant orbit of the sun than the earth does, most asteroids will be redirected away from the inner orbits if they don't get trapped.

Think of it like playing mini golf ⛳️ and hitting through a windmill. Except the windmill blades and your ball are strong magnets. And the hole is about the size of a puckered butthole. You have unlimited balls but you can't look where you're shooting.

This analogy went off the rails but the point is Jupiter is a very good bouncer for the earth club.

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Hustler-1 t1_j7vs0ex wrote

Jupiters orbital velocity around the sun is added to any object entering its sphere of influence. Its how gravitational sling shots are done on spacecraft. Asteroids will absolutely do the same thing. They'll be either ejected into a higher orbit around the sun or a lower orbit based on their entry trajectory. Whatever is trapped by Jupiter has been trapped for awhile and was the remnant of its creation.

However if a new object is entering and doesnt hit Jupiter itself or a moon it will be ejected back out of the system with greater energy relative to Jupiter. Lagrange points are the closest things to actual gravitational traps.

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HowsTheBeef t1_j7vsi6j wrote

Then why Jupiter got so many moons? Can't imagine it's spitting them out from the core

I guess I count falling into Jupiter as getting trapped

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Hustler-1 t1_j7vtfwj wrote

They've been there since the beginning. It probably has thousands of moons. Hell Jupiter has a ring! Its just very faint. The moons that have been discovered as of late are larger and more significant then a small rock. So they get catalogued.

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HowsTheBeef t1_j7vuil6 wrote

"The beginning" wtf you talking about God put them there? It's definitely been accumulating rocks and debris since the beginning, slowly creating and collecting moons from trapped debris. Having a big gravity well in your solar system collects lots of space rocks that would otherwise have a chance of hitting a planet

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Hustler-1 t1_j7vxm1q wrote

In a way yeah you could say God put them there. Jupiter, the planets, our entire solar system came from a swirling cloud of gas and debris that overtime condensed down into the planets we know today. That is why they are all orbiting the same direction and are mostly on the same planes of orbit. Jupiter has indeed been collecting debris overtime. But anything that doesnt strike the planet gets ejected back out.

I suppose even broom is not quite right. Sheppard would be more fitting. Jupiter, Saturn. All the gas giants are what is responsible for stability. They have given our solar system the stability to allow for life on Earth.

Edit: Just to be clear. Moons and objects can be caught into orbits around other planets but it's usually the result of multiple gravitational influences not just one big gravity well. Then there's other instances like striking other objects. Objects breaking apart and such.

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