Why we Love Jupiter

Jupiter, being inhabitable and really far away, may not seem to be a big help to Earth, but it is.  Comets coming from the distant Kuiper Belt may sometimes be on a direct path for Earth.  With a collision, life as we know it might cease to exist.  This has happened before, about 65 million years ago.  An asteriod collided with Earth causing the 5th mass extinction of Earth life.  Fortunately for us, we have Jupiter.  With Jupiter's strong gravitational pull, it is able to bring in, or at least re-direct most comets that would head towards Earth.  In 1994, as the world watched, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter, possibly saving life as we know it on Earth. Comets re-directed from Jupiter may be what makes up the majority of the Oort Cloud, the farthest part of or solar system.  This cloud is so far away that it extends halfway to the nearest stars.  Most experts agree that if it were not for Jupiter, comet collisions with Earth would be much more common.  I guess it is more than just a giant gas ball...