Oddly enough, the fact that Jupiter is where it is has quite decisive consequences on the fate of our planet. Many think that if the gas giant were not where it is and did not have the mass that it has, the Earth would not exist.
And the fact is that the orbital situation of a Jupiter is a very tricky question: if the gravitational pull that it would have exerted on the incipient Earth had formed a little closer to us, it would have prevented its formation. In addition, the type of orbit is also decisive: to ensure the existence of our planet, Jupiter must follow an almost circular and stable orbit ; if it had been more elliptical we would not exist.
The same thing happens with its mass: if it had accreted a little more at the time of its formation, the intensity of its gravity would also have prevented the formation of the Earth.
Perhaps we think that for that, it is better not to have a gas giant nearby. Big mistake. The existence of our gas giant has been fundamental to 'sweep' the Solar System of asteroids and comets capable of causing a mass extinction. Recent calculations show without Jupiter that the number of 10-kilometer objects that would collide with Earth would be 10,000 times greater. If with Jupiter in another place our planet would not have formed, without it the appearance of life would have been much more complicated than it was.
