The answer is in the sub-headline: “This gas giant regularly absorbs hits from comets and asteroids, protecting inner solar system worlds.” It’s a really cool

The answer is in the sub-headline: “This gas giant regularly absorbs hits from comets and asteroids, protecting inner solar system worlds.” It’s a really cool concept, though it’s not settled science: https://earthsky.org/space/is-it-true-that-jupiter-protects-earth/ https://earthsky.org/space/is-it-true-that-jupiter-protects-... It’s interesting to consider that a Kepler planet may also require larger mass planets further out to perform a similar role.