funkysquigger t1_j7v1jhv wrote
Reply to comment by BeepBlipBlapBloop in What's the importance of our solar system having so many moons? by [deleted]
The moon also does not offer much protection against asteroid impacts to earth, which is what I thought they were going for.
Senrakdaemon t1_j7v7atn wrote
Really? I thought I read somewhere in grade school it helps, maybe it was jupiter
DeafnotDeath t1_j7v9xhk wrote
Yes, it’s Jupiter. Earth would probably be uninhabitable if not for Jupiter sucking up enormous amounts of asteroids away from us
floatingsaltmine t1_j7vfm3c wrote
That theory has been debunked. Jupiter hurls as many asteroid into the inner solar system as it pulls them in to crash into Jupiter or flings them out of the solar system entirely. It's a zero sum game for Earth.
DeafnotDeath t1_j7vg3d3 wrote
Huh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for clarifying
blaster151 t1_j7vr0cb wrote
Is there a source for this debunking?
floatingsaltmine t1_j7w0s4d wrote
https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/does-jupiter-really-protect-us-from-cosmic-impacts/
Granted it's not the most sophisticated article and it seems to be behind a paywall. I learned about it in a Crash Course Astronomy episode about the Jovian Moons on Youtube.
This article here found that there would have been significantly fewer impacts on Earth without a Jupiter-mass planet, but several times more if Jupiter had the mass of Saturn. It also depends on the class of bodies (asteroids, short-period comets, long-period comets): https://spaceaustralia.com/feature/jupiters-complicated-relationship-life-earth
Carp8DM t1_j7vanqi wrote
You're not wrong.
While Jupiter keeps the asteroid belt in check, the moon keeps many asteroids that would normally hit us from missing just barely.
In fact, just last month we had a near earth orbit of a pretty large asteriod. The moon's orbit and gravitational pull ensured the asteriod didn't come strait at us.
[deleted] OP t1_j7vi10d wrote
[deleted]
Carp8DM t1_j7vizxa wrote
I mean, apparently not?
Think about it... all the shit that was gonna hit the Earth... Kinda already has.
More profoundly...
Most of the shit that was about to hit the Earth, got pulled into the moon. Look at all them craters.
So what's left? A bunch of shit. But a bunch of shit that isn't gonna hit either of us. It's almost like delayed gratification, if you think about it.
The Earth/Moon busted eachother up. Then they both got busted up for millions of years.... Untill eventually there was nothing left...
And here we are.
The calm result of a chaotic evolution of astrological impacts.
It's kinda beautiful, if you think about it.
quantumtwit t1_j7vowt8 wrote
> Most of the shit that was about to hit the Earth, got pulled into the moon. Look at all them craters.
The earth has been hit by far more "shit" than the moon on account it being much bigger than the moon. We just don't see most of them due to earth having tectonic plates floating on liquid magma and the surface being constantly subsumed into it plus geological forces constantly eroding the surface.
[deleted] OP t1_j7vktzc wrote
[deleted]
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments