Which planet gets hit by the most space rocks?
Jupiter. Its enormous size and strong gravity pull in more comets and asteroids than any other planet.
All the planets are hit by space rocks, but the champion is Jupiter, the biggest planet in the Solar System.
Jupiter is more than 11 times wider than Earth and over 300 times heavier. Its gravity is so strong that it pulls in comets and asteroids that wander nearby. Some it swings onto new paths; others it captures, and some crash straight into it.
In July 1994, astronomers around the world watched as more than 20 pieces of a broken comet, called Shoemaker–Levy 9, smashed into Jupiter one after another. The impacts left dark marks in Jupiter's clouds, some bigger than Earth, which could be seen for months. Since 2010, amateur astronomers with telescopes and video cameras have filmed several bright flashes on Jupiter, made by smaller objects exploding in its atmosphere. Scientists estimate that Jupiter is hit by objects big enough to make such flashes many times each year.
Some people say Jupiter acts like a giant shield for Earth by sweeping up comets. The truth is more complicated, because Jupiter's gravity can also fling some objects towards us. Either way, Jupiter is the busiest target in the Solar System.