Jupiter is described as lying well outside the path of the dark stranger from space during its passage through the planetary system. While Saturn was engulfed, Jupiter escaped this phase of the catastrophe, a brief contrast that helps establish the intruder’s immense and uneven reach.

Position During the Passage

As the dark stranger narrowly missed Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter were both well clear of its track. The account gives no further description of Jupiter; its significance here is positional, defined by its distance from the intruder’s course.

Contrast and Narrative Significance

Saturn was not so fortunate: a few years after Neptune’s escape, it was engulfed along with its rings and satellites. Jupiter’s relative safety sharpens the contrast between planets spared and planets caught in the passage. The intruder would go on to tangle planetary orbits, miss Mars, and catch Earth and Venus, making Jupiter’s brief mention part of the narration’s widening picture of a system in upheaval.