Re: Gravity and Van Allen Belt
"...the presence of Jupiter in the outer solar system may have soaked up some of the really big impacts..."
The idea that Jupiter protects us from potential impactors is a bit of a misconception, largely promoted by melodramatic low-brow science documentaries.
Jupiter's greatest influence is its gravity, which is as likely to divert asteroids and comets etc. towards Earth as it is to divert them away from Earth.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
