Nova: Season 46, Episode 14

46 - 14: The Planets: Jupiter

Jupiter is not just the oldest planet orbiting the sun—it's also the largest. So when the young gas giant went on a rampage through the early inner solar system, it shaped the fate of everything in its path. Speeding towards the Sun, Jupiter's massive gravitational force hurled debris into interstellar space, stunting the growth of would-be planets. Earth might have been doomed had Saturn not pulled Jupiter back. But it also shaped life on Earth, delivering comets laden with water - and perhaps even the fateful asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Today, Jupiter resides in the outer solar system, where its gravity bends the paths of asteroids and stokes volcanic activity on its moon Io. But it could one day wreak havoc again.