‘A Rogue Star’ might save earth from a catastrophic fate
Scientists believe that in about a billion years, the Earth will become extremely hot and uninhabitable due to the increasing size and heat of our sun.
However, scientists believe that a chance encounter with a passing star could save our planet by either propelling it into a cooler orbit or helping it escape the solar system entirely, according to a new theoretical study.
The term “rogue stars” describes stars that have been ejected from their solar systems and are now traveling through interstellar space between stars. While these stars are extremely rare, they pose a potential threat to planets in their path.
Researchers in the new study, as reported by The Sun, stated that this threat could potentially be a saving grace for Earth hundreds of millions of years from now.
Currently, Earth is in the habitable zone in our solar system, the distance from the star where liquid water could exist on the surfaces of planets orbiting it.
However, as our sun becomes a red giant, it will become hotter and larger, eventually consuming the Earth in about 5 billion years.
This has led scientists to study the possibility of removing Earth from its orbit to become a free planet. To explore this concept, a team of astronomers simulated what could happen if a rogue star came our way.
The team produced 12,000 simulation runs, and in some cases, the passage of the rogue star pushed Earth into a farther and cooler orbit.
In other cases, our planet (along with some or all of the other planets) was drawn into the Oort Cloud, a massive spherical cloud believed to surround the solar system (at the edge of the solar system) and extends for a distance of three light-years.
The most intriguing aspect is that in a few simulation runs, the rogue star managed to gravitationally pull Earth away.
However, even with the extremely slim chance of a rogue star coming our way, the odds of Earth surviving are still no more than 1 in 35,000.
