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In constructing a solar system according to the outlines of An Idiot’s Guide to Making a Solar System, one would expect to end up with a neatly arranged star surrounded by a disc of planets orbiting in uniform, circular paths. However, the actual configuration of our Solar System diverges from this idealized scenario, featuring a warped disc and planets with orbits that are somewhat tilted and elliptical rather than perfectly circular. This raises a question: what could account for these irregularities?
A new theory posits that an exceptionally massive object may have briefly entered the Solar System during its formative years, influencing the orbits of the planets before departing. This hypothesis emerges from the collaborative research of Garett Brown and Hanno Rein from the University of Toronto alongside planetary scientist Renu Malhotra from the University of Arizona.
Current models suggest that the gravitational dynamics at play in our Solar System do not conform to the simplistic models often depicted. Observations indicate a variety of celestial objects, including those originating from beyond our Solar System, interact with our Sun’s gravitational field. For instance, in 2017, the interstellar object known as Oumuamua garnered attention when it traversed our Solar System, exemplifying the possible interactions between solar systems.
The research team examined the possibility that a celestial body with mass ranging from two to fifty times that of Jupiter could alter the orbits of the giant planets. Using simulations based on approximately 50,000 scenarios, they identified that an object with a mass slightly over eight times that of Jupiter could match the observed eccentric orbits of our Solar System’s planets, particularly influencing structure within the area near Uranus‘s orbit.
The simulations also suggested a finite chance—specifically operating between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000—that another massive body could pass near enough to our Sun to displace one of the inner planets within the next 20 million years, though in most instances the planetary orbits would likely remain in a stable configuration.
The implications of this research highlight the presence of numerous star clusters scattered throughout the Milky Way, which may occasionally present opportunities for such gravitational interactions. According to the researchers, “In other words, we don’t need to look for a needle in a haystack to find a suitable encounter,” suggesting that such dynamics may be more common than previously thought.
While our closest stellar neighbor resides over four light-years away, the Sun, much like Earth, is navigating through regions populated by lonely stars and wandering planets—known as rogue planets. This raises further questions regarding the potential for future disruptions in our Solar System.
The prospect of our planetary configuration shifting further in the future remains unclear, but the a tantalizing possibility looms that one day, the Solar System might experience even more significant disturbances.
For those interested in digging deeper, this research is currently available on the preprint server arXiv.
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