from Earth with even small telescopes. Jupiter’s impact scars from the event may have now faded but the effects of this rare occurrence have been long-standing. Most notably the collision highlighted Jupiter as a ‘cosmic vacuum cleaner’ according to astronomers. The planet’s size and strong gravitational pull mean many small comets and asteroids collide with it and it is estimated that the rate of impacts is two to eight thousand times higher than Earth’s. If Jupiter were not present in the Solar System it is much more likely that Earth would experience a significant amount of impacts from space objects.