Jupiter and historical collisions in the universe.

Jupiter is not only the largest and fastest-rotating planet in our solar system, but also the fifth farthest from the Sun. Jupiter's mass is significantly greater than that of the other seven planets combined. Due to its enormous size and mass, Jupiter possesses an extremely strong gravitational pull, making it the planet with the most natural satellites discovered to date, currently known to have 79 moons.

With its strong surface gravity, Jupiter always acts as a "cleaner" in the solar system, attracting extraordinarily large space debris and protecting other celestial bodies from harm amidst the chaos of countless asteroids and meteoroid fragments.

One thought-provoking example is the asteroid impact hypothesis linking the extinction of the dinosaurs. Approximately 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet from space collided with Earth. This violent impact disrupted natural forces, leaving a global scar and perhaps explaining the sudden disappearance of powerful creatures like dinosaurs. However, this hypothesis remains unproven.

If a similar collision were to occur in modern times, no matter how advanced our technology becomes, humanity would likely not survive.

Fortunately, in 1994, humanity witnessed a cosmic phenomenon rarely seen in millennia – the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter.

On March 24, 1993, American astronomers Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker, along with amateur astronomer David Levy, discovered a comet that had broken out of the asteroid belt and entered the solar system, becoming a periodic comet. Through precise calculations, the astronomers predicted that the comet would collide with Jupiter, even estimating the exact time and location of the collision.

Indeed, from July 16 to 22, 1994, the comet broke into 21 pieces on Jupiter's surface, then collided repeatedly with Jupiter, creating the first ever observed planetary-scale object collision event. Each collision was extremely violent, the smallest fragments swallowed by Jupiter's atmosphere, while subsequent collisions were devastating, like the explosion of billions of tons of TNT. The seventh collision released energy equivalent to 2.5 trillion tons of TNT, while the ninth released energy equivalent to 250 million Hiroshima atomic bombs.

Fireballs and aftershocks from the collisions covered an area three times the size of Earth. This spectacular cosmic spectacle lasted six days. It was Jupiter's powerful gravitational pull, and its ability to absorb the comet's impact, that protected Earth from this potentially life-threatening catastrophe. Without Jupiter, the comet might have hurtled directly toward Earth, and human civilization would have been wiped out.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/sao-moc-va-nhung-tran-va-cham-lich-su-trong-vu-tru-post2149098826.html