Millions of comets might someday rain on our planet, new study suggests.
In regarding a million years, a wandering star might cause tens of millions of comets to rush into our solar system.
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Currently, the closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, regarding 4.25 light-years away.
But in regarding 1.29 million years, the star Gliese 710 will be the closest star to our planet.
Gliese 710 is a small star located in the constellation Serpent Cauda, regarding 62 light-years from Earth.
However, this star is pointing straight toward our solar system and will come within only 0.06 light-years from Earth.
What does that mean for Earth?
The Gliese 710 does not directly harm the Earth or any life on it from its distance.
However, stellar passes affect objects in space due to their strong gravitational pull.
Basically, as Gliese 710 passes through the Oort Cloud, it will disrupt the trajectories of numerous comets.
Some of them will launch into deep space, and many others will head into our inner solar system.
What will be the damage?
Professor Brad Gibson, director of the EA Milne Center for Astrophysics at Hull University, told Newsweek that a comet of the same mass would do ten times as much damage to Earth as an asteroid.
“In the early stages of planetary formation, we’ve seen such comet impacts occur more regularly.”
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, protects Earth from many comets, but not all.
“If, in sheer numbers, astrophysics has the potential to completely destroy our biosphere,” Gibson said, “it would be one of the millions of comets coming to us in a million years.”
What is a comet?
According to NASA, comets are “a cosmic snowball of frozen gas, rock and dust.”
They are made from leftovers from the formation of the solar system.
As a comet approaches the sun, it forms a “tail” of gas and dust particles and moves away from the larger star.
