In the past, many astronomers have considered Jupiter a friend to Earth, even developing a theory Jupiter acts as a space shield, preventing debris from hitting other planets by virtue of its large gravitational pull, according to the New York Post.
But space expert Kevin Grazier begs to differ, saying his research finds Jupiter playing the role of sniper, not shield.
In another interview with the New York Post, he shared, “Our simulations show that Jupiter is just as likely to send comets at Earth as deflect them away and we’ve seen that in the real solar system.”
The concern Grazier has is space debris headed on safe paths could be redirected by Jupiter’s pull into a collision path with Earth.
“We already know that Earth is in the cosmic crosshairs. There are hundreds of near-Earth objects that are potentially hazardous,” Grazier told Fox News. “I think we now just have to pay more attention to what’s happening a bit farther away in Jupiter’s neighborhood.”
This MSN video shows how the powerful pull coming from Jupiter pulls foreign objects into orbit.
Grazier told Gizmodo he believes his findings are enough to effectively kill the Jupiter shield theory.
One of Grazier’s co-authors, Jonti Horner, said their research shows Jupiter’s massive gravitational pull actually makes it rather aggressive.
“It takes things that come nowhere near Earth and flings them our way, meaning it is also a threat,” he told Gizmodo.