Last Updated:
A star with a mass similar to our Sun passing within 10,000 astronomical units could disturb Oort Cloud, which is located far beyond Pluto and marks the outer edge of solar system.
Representative image
Scientists have raised alarm over the stability of Earth in future, with a new study revealing that the blue planet can be flung into deep space , or even into the Sun, one day, due to the gravitational influence of passing stars .
A study published in the journal Icarus reveals that “field “stars” (stars that happen to pass near our solar system) could trigger dramatic cosmic instability much earlier than the expected death of the Sun in five billion years.
The study used thousands of computer simulations to explore how the solar system might evolve over billions of years.
According to scientists, a star with a mass similar to our Sun passing within 10,000 astronomical units (AU) (around 1.5 trillion kilometres) could disturb the Oort Cloud, which is located far beyond Pluto and marks the outer edge of the solar system.
“Passing stars are the most probable instability trigger during the next four billion years,” the study highlighted, suggesting that the planets, including Pluto, are much less stable than previously believed.
Nathan Kaib and Sean Raymond, the astronomers behind the research, wrote in May: “Our simulations indicate that isolated models of the solar system can underestimate the degree of our giant planets’ future secular orbital changes by over an order of magnitude. In addition, our planets and Pluto are significantly less stable than previously thought.”
According to the study, a passing star could increase the chance of Mercury’s orbit becoming unstable by 50–80 per cent. This can lead to a chain reaction, possibly sending Venus or Mars into a collision path with Earth.
There are also chances that Earth can even spiral into the Sun or be thrown towards Jupiter, whose gravity could then eject it from the solar system entirely.
The researchers also believe that there is a 0.3 per cent chance that Mars could be lost through either collision or ejection, and a 0.2% chance that Earth could suffer a similar fate over the next five billion years.
While the risk remains very low, the study reveals that the peaceful stability of our solar system may be more fragile than we ever imagined.
- First Published:
