The Jupiter barrier is a region of the Solar System characterized by the gravitational influence of Jupiter on passing interstellar and in-system objects. Specifically, it is the region where these objects (which include asteroids and comets) are attracted to Jupiter and are either captured in its orbit or destroyed through impacting the planet. Because of this barrier, Jupiter has been nicknamed the Solar System's "cosmic vacuum cleaner" by astronomers, who have also speculated that the barrier reduces the likelihood of such objects from reaching the inner Solar System with potentially fatal consequences on the smaller planets in the inner Solar System such as nearly, if not completely, destroying all life on Earth.