Unexpected passing object could help wipe out Earth

A recent study published in the journal Icarus indicates that passing field stars could cause more instability in our solar system than previously believed.
Astronomers Nathan Kaib and Sean Raymond conducted thousands of computer simulations, identifying passing stars as the most probable trigger for future orbital changes over the next four billion years.
The research suggests that the risk of instability for Jupiter could increase by 50 to 80 percent due to these gravitational interactions.
The study also found an approximate 0.3 percent chance that Mars could be lost through collision or ejection, and a 0.2 percent probability of Earth being involved in a planetary collision or ejected.
Despite these findings, which show a higher risk for Earth than previous research, one of the study's authors, Nathan Kaib, stated that these extreme outcomes are still not probable.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

NBC News

2 hours ago

• NBC News

The summer solstice is here. What to know about the longest day of the year

Peak sunshine has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere — the summer solstice. Friday is the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer. It's the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start. The word 'solstice' comes from the Latin words 'sol' for sun and 'stitium' which can mean 'pause' or 'stop.' The solstice is the end of the sun's annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating and days will get a little shorter every day until late December. People have marked solstices for eons with celebrations and monuments, including Stonehenge, which was designed to align with the sun's paths at the solstices. But what is happening in the heavens? Here's what to know about the Earth's orbit. Solstices are when days and nights are at their most extreme As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle relative to the sun. For most of the year, the Earth's axis is tilted either toward or away from the sun. That means the sun's warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet. The solstices mark the times during the year when this tilt is at its most extreme, and days and nights are at their most unequal. During the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, the upper half of the earth is tilted toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. This solstice falls between June 20 and 22. Meanwhile, at the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the sun — leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls between December 20 and 23. The equinox is when there is an equal amount of day and night During the equinox, the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. That's because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet. The Northern Hemisphere's spring — or vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21, depending on the year. Its fall — or autumnal — equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only time when both the north and south poles are lit by sunshine at the same time. What's the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons? These are just two different ways to carve up the year. While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. They break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, fall on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.

The Independent

3 hours ago

• The Independent

The summer solstice is here. What to know about the longest day of the year

The Northern Hemisphere has reached its peak sunshine, marking the summer solstice – the longest day of the year and the official start of astronomical summer. Conversely, for those in the Southern Hemisphere, it signifies the shortest day and the onset of winter. The term "solstice" derives from the Latin words "sol" for sun and "stitium," meaning "pause" or "stop." This celestial event marks the sun's highest annual arc in the sky, after which it begins its gradual retreat, leading to progressively shorter days until late December. For millennia, civilisations have observed and celebrated the solstices, constructing monuments like Stonehenge, which was precisely aligned to the sun's paths during these pivotal moments. Understanding what unfolds in the heavens requires a look at Earth's orbital mechanics. As our planet journeys around the sun, it does so on a tilted axis. For most of the year, this tilt means that sunlight and warmth are distributed unequally between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Solstices occur when this axial tilt is at its most extreme, resulting in the most significant disparity between day and night lengths. During the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, the upper half of the Earth is tilted directly towards the sun, creating the year's longest day and shortest night. The winter solstice, conversely, sees the Northern Hemisphere leaning away from the sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night. In contrast to the solstices, equinoxes are periods when the Earth's axis and its orbit align in such a way that both hemispheres receive an almost equal amount of sunlight. The word "equinox" itself comes from Latin words meaning "equal" and "night." On these days, day and night are nearly identical in duration. The Northern Hemisphere experiences its spring (vernal) equinox between March 19 and 21, and its autumn (autumnal) equinox between September 21 and 24. At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon during an equinox, and uniquely, both the North and South Poles are simultaneously illuminated by sunshine. It is also important to distinguish between astronomical and meteorological seasons. While astronomical seasons are defined by the Earth's precise movements around the sun, meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles, dividing the year into fixed three-month periods. By this calendar, spring begins on March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on September 1, and winter on December 1.

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

HMP Mars: Living on the Red Planet will be like life in PRISON, expert warns

When humans finally settle on Mars, they will be stepping out into one of the most hostile environments in the solar system. But if we want to understand what life will really be like on the Red Planet, we should look to a hostile environment much closer to home. Life for astronauts in a Martian colony will be extremely similar to the conditions inside today's prisons, according to a leading space scientist. From isolation and a lack of personal space to bad food and a rigid routine, astronauts' conditions will be much closer to those of prisoners than explorers. Space agencies have spent decades studying extreme environments like Antarctic research bases to learn how humans might react to living in space. However, Professor Lucy Berthoud, a space systems engineer at the University of Bristol, says that prisons are already the closest parallel to life on Mars. Professor Berthoud told MailOnline that prisoners and astronauts both face: 'Too little personal space and privacy, overcrowding, poor food, unnecessary risks, rigid regimes with no autonomy, little variation in daily activities.' With astronauts trapped 140 million miles from home (225 million km), Professor Berthoud warns they may feel even more isolated than those locked in cells here on Earth. The biggest difference between astronauts and prisoners is obviously that one voluntarily takes a highly sought-after position, while the other has their freedom removed as a punishment. However, once the astronauts actually make it to a Martian colony, their conditions would be remarkably similar. Most obviously, both prisoners and astronauts will be physically trapped inside a cramped, dangerous environment with the same small set of people. In prisons, the European standard for a cell is four metres square per person, but overcrowding means that there is often much less space. On a Martian colony where resources are scarce and survival is the primary goal, astronauts are likely to face similarly cramped quarters. For example, NASA's Apollo Command and Service module, which took astronauts into lunar orbit, had just 6.2 cubic metres of space for three astronauts. This lack of privacy, combined with close proximity to other people, can lead to heightened stress and a much greater risk of conflict. Those tensions are only made worse by the fact that both prisons and Mars are extremely dangerous environments. While the sources of danger are extremely different, this persistent level of threat has the same effect on someone's psychology. Professor Berthoud says: 'Living in a high-risk environment would mean that your threat situation would be constantly switched on, which takes a toll on you psychologically and physically over the long term. 'Astronauts are specially selected to be good at dealing with emergency situations, unlike prisoners, but over the mission length this would still have an effect.' In addition to their living conditions, astronauts and prisoners may find themselves with similar lifestyles. In prisons, those incarcerated have their schedule planned out down to the minute with restrictions on everything from eating and sleeping to working and resting. This is exactly the same situation faced by the astronauts currently living on the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts on the ISS h ave 15-hour working days with two hours of compulsory exercise, eight hours of work, and only a single hour of personal time. Professor Berthoud points out that this lack of control can lead astronauts to rail against or even disobey NASA's rigid mission guidelines. NASA's astronauts are subject to a gruelling daily schedule with just a single hour of personal time per day Likewise, for both prisoners and astronauts, one of the biggest issues is the availability of fresh, tasty, nutritious food. The UK government standard for prisoners' meals is set at £2.70 per person per day, which means that food is often of low nutritional value and famously unpleasant. While astronauts on Mars are likely to have much more expensive and pleasant food than prisoners, a lack of variety and fresh ingredients will still be a major restriction. On the ISS, NASA has invested huge resources into trying to make space food palatable. However, astronauts losing their appetite and failing to keep their weight up is a constant concern. However, the most important similarity is that both prisoners and astronauts on Mars would face heightened levels of isolation. Prisoners, just like astronauts on a remote planet, are taken away from society and have their contact with friends, family, and the outside world cut to a minimum. Even though astronauts willingly subject themselves to this isolation, they still face the same effects. Professor Berthoud says: 'I feel that the effects of isolation will be similar, but for Mars there will be the added factor of feeling very remote from everyone you care about and love. 'The fastest you could get home would be 6 months, so that would add to the isolation.' Although Professor Berthoud says that life on Mars could be similar to a prison, this doesn't mean NASA should model its Mars colonies after the prison environment. Mars bases should be equipped with measures to maximise privacy and autonomy, while astronauts should be given meaningful activities to help combat monotony. Ultimately, fixing these problems on Mars might even help us make prisons more habitable back here on Earth. Professor Berthoud says: 'I would suggest we would want to rethink prisons to be more like the ideal space base! 'I would imagine that more space, more autonomy, more personalisation, more sense of purpose would help anyone deal better with a stressful situation, even if they are there to keep society safe.' Mars has two miles of WATER buried at its equator - and scientists say it could support the first settlers on the Red Planet Despite once being home to lush oceans of liquid water billions of years ago, any traces of H2O on Mars today are well hidden. But experts say there's two miles of water buried beneath the surface in an area of the planet's equator, known as the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). The water is frozen as ice in a layer measuring over two miles (3.7km) thick, according to new data from the Mars Express spacecraft. If melted, the water would cover the whole of Mars in a layer of liquid up to 8.8 feet (2.7 metres) deep, and would be enough to fill Earth's Red Sea.