Britannica Sources used in this answer

How can Jupiter eject a comet from the solar system?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Comet Comet McNaught with filamentary tail and the Moon over the Pacific Ocean, photographed from Paranal Observatory, Chile, January 2007.

Jupiter can eject a comet from the solar system through the process of gravitational perturbation.1

When a comet passes through the planetary region, it experiences the gravitational influence of the giant planets. Jupiter, being the most massive planet, can significantly alter a comet's orbital energy. Through these gravitational interactions, Jupiter can scatter a comet's orbit, changing its orbital period and energy. In some instances, these perturbations are sufficient to transform a previously elliptical orbit into a hyperbolic orbit. Once a comet is placed on a hyperbolic trajectory, it is no longer gravitationally bound to the Sun and is effectively ejected from the solar system into interstellar space.1

This mechanism is a standard part of cometary dynamics; for example, Jupiter's gravity also plays a role in capturing comets into shorter-period orbits or, conversely, scattering them toward the Oort cloud.1