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New York Times
28-06-2025
- Science
- New York Times
This Is Not the Way We Usually Imagine the World Will End
If our species manages to hang on for a few billion additional years, we might be in for a wild ride — stars passing in the vicinity of the sun could cause planets in our solar system to collide or even be ejected, according to a paper published last month in the journal Icarus. The findings even suggest a scenario in which our world ends not consumed by the sun, but in a carom prompted by the powers of gravity. The Milky Way is home to hundreds of billions of stars. Each one is in motion, zinging in its own orbit around the galactic center. Consider a long enough span of time — something astronomers are wont to do — and it's inevitable that another star will pass closer to the sun than Proxima Centauri, currently our nearest stellar neighbor. In fact, calculations based on orbits of stars cataloged by the Gaia spacecraft suggest that, every million years, 33 stars, give or take a few, do just that. But for another star's gravitational effects to have a sizable impact on our solar system, you need a much closer shave than that, according to Nate Kaib, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute. 'Once you get a couple hundred times the distance from the Earth to the Sun, you can really start to destabilize stuff,' he said. Dr. Kaib and Sean Raymond, an astronomer at the Bordeaux Astrophysical Laboratory in France, set about determining the likelihood and effects of such cosmic near misses. The researchers ran thousands of computer simulations, modeling the gravitational effects of passing stars on the solar system's eight planets and Pluto. The team considered stars with masses, velocities and orbits representative of objects in our stellar neighborhood. Each simulation modeled the passage of five billion years. Dr. Kaib said that such a long-term perspective is necessary because it often takes tens of millions of years or even longer for a planet's orbit to be perturbed by a passing star. 'You don't see the effects for a long, long time,' he said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News18
24-06-2025
- Science
- News18
Can Earth Be Ejected From The Solar System? Here's What Researchers Are Saying
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. 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: June 23, 2025, 17:53 IST
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Could Earth be ejected from the Solar System? Scientists say it's possible
Imagine Earth as a celestial snowball, flung into the abyss of interstellar space… Sounds like sci‑fi, right? But recent computer simulations suggest that a distant stellar neighbor could disturb our solar system's choreography over billions of years—and even eject our planet. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now What's happening? A new study raises this serious alarm: our planet, Earth, could be knocked out of its orbit by passing stars! A team led by Nathan Kaib (Planetary Science Institute) and Sean Raymond (University of Bordeaux) ran thousands of N‑body simulations that included not just the Sun and planets, but passing stars too. The results? A tiny, but non‑zero, chance Earth becomes cosmic roadkill—hurling either into the sun, colliding with another planet, or being flung outward toward Jupiter and beyond, potentially escaping the solar system. What does the study say? This fascinating but frightening idea suggests that cosmic events might threaten our planet long before the Sun eventually engulfs it in about five billion years. Published in the journal , the research is based on thousands of computer simulations. It highlights how a nearby "field star"—a star shining in the same part of the sky—could disrupt the Oort Cloud, the icy area that marks the edge of our solar system beyond Pluto. The findings indicate that stars passing within 10,000 AU (Astronomical Units, about 10,000 times the distance from Earth to the Sun) could cause much more chaos than we thought. Why now, and how? Here's the cosmic scoop: according to astronomers Kaib and Raymond, this could increase the chances of instability for planets like Mercury by 50-80%. They estimate that there's a small chance—about 5%—that Pluto could experience chaotic gravitational interactions in the next five billion years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Even more startling, there's about a 0.3% chance that Mars could collide with another planet or be ejected from the solar system, and a 0.2% chance that Earth itself could face a collision or be tossed out of orbit. If Mercury's path were altered, it could set off a domino effect, potentially leading to collisions involving Venus, Mars, and even Earth. In the worst-case scenario, Earth might even end up spiraling toward the Sun or getting flung into space by Jupiter's gravity! To put it simply, this research opens our eyes to the unpredictable nature of our cosmic neighborhood and reminds us just how fragile our place in the universe can be! What's the cosmic timeline? In case you're looking for a rough timeline: Next ~1 Gyr: life-supporting conditions fade due to solar brightening. Within ~5 Gyr: ejection chances—0.2% for Earth, ~4% for Pluto, about 5% chance of a dangerous stellar encounter within 100 AU. Over 10–100 Gyr: wandering stars may disrupt even more, ejecting survivors. A Gyr stands for a gigayear, which represents a unit of time equal to one billion years. More detailed simulations from arXiv show ~1% chance per Gyr of a star passage within 100 AU, and while 92% of planets stay fine, Mercury is vulnerable, and Earth could be reshuffled or ejected. What happens to Earth then? If Earth gets booted into interstellar space, goodbye cozy climate. Without the Sun's warmth, surface temperature plunges, atmosphere collapses and freezes, and only underground geothermal heat could support microbial extremophiles. Imagine Earth drifting alone—no photosynthesis, no weather, no ocean currents. A cold, dark rock! Should we start worrying now? Not really—for now. The closest stellar approach likely isn't for another 1.3 million years, and ejection is extremely unlikely in our lifetimes—0.2% odds over 5 billion years. And barring extreme future tech, no one's going to 'eject' Earth intentionally—the energy required is astronomically mind‑boggling. Still, it's fascinating to think Earth isn't locked into its Sun forever. Over eons, cosmic billiards, rogue stars, and planetary chaos could rewrite our fate. The last of words! While the thought of Earth zooming through the void is dramatic and fun to imagine, the odds remain incredibly slim and billions of years away. That said, our solar system isn't as stable as once thought. As stellar surveys (like Gaia) track nearby stars, we're slowly mapping out our future celestial neighbors and the cosmic dice rolls that could shape our fate. So the next time you gaze at the night sky, know it's not 'eternal'; and one day, far in the future, Earth might get an unexpected ticket out. But until then, let's savor our sunlit orbit and perhaps pen a sci‑fi tale or two! Evidence of ninth planet found in solar system
NDTV
22-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Earth Could Be Ejected Out Of The Solar System, Study Warns
Earth could be thrown off its orbit and flung into another planet or the Sun, a new study has warned. Passing stars could be the orchestrator of this cosmic instability which could jeopardise our planet's health, much before the Sun annihilates it in five billion years as a red giant. Based on thousands of computer simulations, the study published in the journal Icarus, states that there is a chance that a passing field star -- a type of star that appears in the same region of the sky as another object being studied-- could cause more havoc than previously estimated. A star with mass comparable to our Sun passing within 10,000 astronomical units could significantly disrupt the Oort Cloud, which marks the outer boundary of our solar system beyond Pluto. "Passing stars are the most probable instability trigger during the next four billion years," the study highlighted, adding that planets in the solar system, as well as Pluto, were significantly less stable than previously thought. '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,' Nathan Kaib and Sean Raymond, a pair of astronomers, wrote in May. The gravitational tug due to these stars could increase the risk of instability for Mercury by 50-80 per cent, and there is a five per cent chance of chaotic gravitational interactions for Pluto over five billion years. 'We also find an approximately 0.3 percent chance that Mars will be lost through collision or ejection and an approximately 0.2 percent probability that Earth will be involved in a planetary collision or ejected,' the researchers stated. In the event of Mercury's orbit being changed by the passing star, the resulting chaos could cause Venus or Mars to crash into Earth. In other instances, Earth might crash into the Sun, or Venus and Mars might fling Earth towards Jupiter. Afterwards, the giant planet's gravity ejects Earth from the solar system.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Earth could be soon flung out of orbit or into the sun - all thanks to a passing star
Could a passing star be on a collision course with our solar system and, eventually, Earth? It's difficult to know if such an outcome is likely. Recently, researchers have found the Milky Way likely won't crash into its neighboring galaxy any time soon. Our blue marble is already slated to be eaten by our sun in several billion years, after it turns into a red giant and expands. But researchers said in a recent study published in the journal Icarus that thousands of computer simulations indicate there's a chance a passing field star – a star that appears in the same region of the sky as another object being studied – could cause more havoc than previously believed. '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,' Nathan Kaib and Sean Raymond, a pair of astronomers, wrote in May. Kaib is from Iowa's Planetary Science Institute and Raymond is from France's University of Bourdeaux. The study's authors say passing stars are the most probable trigger for instability during the course of the next four billion years. The gravitational tug could cause instability to completely stable objects, including Pluto: formerly the ninth planet of our solar system. Over the course of five billion years, stars could transform Pluto from a completely stable object to one with a chaotic set of gravitational interactions that sets it off its orbit. While the odds of those changes occurring in that time frame from Pluto are approximately five percent, they are exponentially greater for Mercury. The risk of instability for the solar system's first planet would increase by between around 50 and 80 percent. 'We also find an approximately 0.3 percent chance that Mars will be lost through collision or ejection and an approximately 0.2 percent probability that Earth will be involved in a planetary collision or ejected,' they wrote. Kaib previously published work that suggested Earth's orbit was altered by a passing star three million years ago. 'We looked at the typical, run-of-the-mill flybys,' Raymond told New Scientist. 'These are the stars that really do pass by the sun all the time, cosmically speaking.' Still, these simulations aside, Kaib told Science News that 'none of these things are probable.' Although, the outlet notes, a 0.2 percent chance of collision with the Earth is much greater than previous research has found. 'It's a little scary how vulnerable we may be to planetary chaos,' Renu Malhotra, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona who was not involved with the study, told Science News.
