&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Powerful comet shower from Oort Cloud racing towards Earth, study finds")
Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona and the University of Bordeaux in France have found that millions of comets could be racing towards the inner solar system because of something that happened 2.5 million years ago. The researchers stated that a star similar to our Sun crossed our solar system and, in the process, shook some icy objects in the Oort Cloud. It is a theoretical spherical shell surrounding our solar system, believed to be filled with billions of icy planetesimals.
This encounter created long-period comets which could since be travelling towards us, EarthSky reported. The researchers used the Gaia mission to identify this star - HD 7977 - which they found travelled close to our Sun 2.5 million years ago. Since long-period comets can take between 200 and tens of millions of years to orbit the sun once, most of them may still be on their way.
Researchers state that HD 7977 was similar to our Sun. It came very close to Earth as well when it passed between 4,000 and 25,000 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. They ran computer simulations of the orbits of long-period comets and narrowed the distance to 6,000-10,000 AU. They compared the simulations to the passage of 112 known long-period comets. Their calculations showed that the star's gravity disturbed the Oort Cloud, changing the motions of many of the icy objects in the region and sending them on a journey towards the inner solar system.
Rare comet shower is coming
Study author Nathan Kaib said, "The distribution of comet orbits suggests we are living through an unusual time where HD 7977 has dominated the generation of new comets and not the larger gravitational field of the Milky Way." He added, "This would also mean we’re living through the late stages of a pretty rare and powerful comet shower."
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The icy objects in the Oort Cloud are leftovers from the time of our solar system's birth. They were formed near giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, and were gradually flung towards the ends of the solar system. The gravity of the Milky Way has been tugging on the outer reaches of our system, creating a sphere which scientists have named the Oort Cloud.
New comets could be from the travelling star
The older comets that we know of exist in the solar system are likely the result of the galactic pull, while the newer comets racing towards the inner region were sent on this trip by HD 7977. The team admitted that their results are not precise and more research is needed to confirm them. "Gaia is still publishing new data on the motions of stars, and in 6-12 months, it should be able to improve our understanding of HD 7977’s motion and tell us if we are right or wrong," Kaib said.
