Jupiter is the protector of the earth. If there is no Jupiter, can humans still appear on the earth?

Many people have been thinking about a question: Do aliens exist?

From the probability point of view, the universe is so big, even if the probability of alien civilization is low, human beings should not be the only intelligent civilization. Fermi, a famous scientist, once lamented: If aliens really exist, where are they? Why don't they go to humans? Why didn't humans observe them? This was later called Fermi Paradox.

From an empirical point of view, the existence of aliens can only be confirmed if the evidence of aliens is really observed, whether it is direct evidence or indirect evidence. So far, we haven't found any evidence. This can't help but make many people start thinking: Is human being lonely?

Livable zone model

If human beings are really lonely, then the earth is unique. So what aspects of the earth are unique?

In astronomy, "model thinking" is generally used to study specific problems. The earth is a celestial body that conforms to the "livable zone model".

Specifically, the location of the galaxy where the earth is located is very suitable, just suitable for biological survival. The galaxy here refers to the Milky Way.

In addition to the correct position in the galaxy, it needs to be in the stellar system, not too far and not too close. If it is too close, the water on the earth will be evaporated; If it is too far away, there will be little energy from the sun and the temperature of the earth will be very low.

In addition to location, the livable zone model also has many requirements, such as: the need for geomagnetic field, satellites of appropriate size, and appropriate atmosphere. I want to add here that this model is based on the current human knowledge of the earth. We can be sure that there are other forms, but because there is no clear detection at present, we can only build a model according to the situation of the earth.

Among many conditions, there is also a large planet around. This is because large planets can provide effective protection for life on livable planets. As we know, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the order of approaching the sun.

Among them, the sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass of the whole solar system, and Jupiter accounts for two-thirds of the remaining mass, second only to the sun in the solar system, and it is the big brother of the eight planets, with a mass of 3 17.89 times that of the earth.

Objectively speaking, without Jupiter, there would be no vibrant biosphere on earth today. So how does Jupiter protect life on earth?

Guardian of the Earth: Jupiter

In the solar system, there are many asteroids, dwarf planets, comets and other celestial bodies besides the sun and the eight planets. They are also bound to the solar system by the sun's gravity. In addition, some celestial bodies outside the solar system occasionally visit the solar system, such as Omomo, who entered the solar system before.

These celestial bodies and celestial bodies outside the solar system often enter the inner side of the sun. If they hit the earth in desperation, it will cause a huge global disaster and deal a huge blow to life on earth.

65 million years ago, an asteroid with a diameter of 10 km hit the earth, making most of the dinosaurs that ruled the earth for hundreds of millions of years extinct in just 2 million years, and only a few evolved into later birds. This mass extinction caused by asteroids is the second most serious among the five mass extinctions in the 4.6 billion-year history of the earth.

Jupiter's role is actually to rely on its own gravity to make asteroids ready to enter the inner circle of the sun leave. Take Omo Momo as an example. Jupiter used the gravitational slingshot effect to increase the speed of Omomomo rapidly, changed the direction of Omomomo's movement, and sent Omomomo directly out of the solar system.

Besides Omo, there are two asteroid belts in the solar system, one between Jupiter and Mars, and the other is the Kuiper belt at the edge of the solar system. Asteroids in these two asteroid belts will move to the inner solar system because of gravity imbalance, which is a threat to celestial bodies in the inner solar system. But Jupiter can use its own gravity to take these asteroids out of their original orbits and ensure the safety of celestial bodies in the inner solar system. In other words, Jupiter acts as a "goalkeeper" to ensure the safety of life on earth.

It is not that as long as Jupiter exists, the earth will not be hit by these asteroids. 65 million years ago, Jupiter missed it once, which caused a great disaster. Imagine that if Jupiter did not exist, the earth would often be hit by asteroids, and it would be difficult for life on earth to evolve into the present situation. Therefore, if there is no earth, there may be only microorganisms on the earth at most, and the surface of the earth will be full of all kinds of craters.