In Lu Sechin’s short story “The Wandering Land” (The Wandering Earth), the writer describes the scenario of the exit of the Earth from our solar system to escape a dangerous solar flare that is coming to destroy all the planets. It’s a science fiction story, but could Earth really leave the solar system?
“It’s unlikely,” Matteo Sirioti, an aerospace engineer and lecturer in space systems engineering at the University of Glasgow in the UK, told Live Science. However, he made it clear that “unlikely” does not mean “impossible” and proposed a theory that Earth could leave the solar system.
And he added: “The Earth could come out of its orbit if a huge object that flies into space and enters the solar system passes by. In this scenario, known as” flying “(Fly), the Earth and the body exchange energy and momentum, disrupting the Earth’s orbit. If the object is fast, massive and close enough, it can help the Earth escape its orbit. “
For his part, Timothy Davis, a lecturer in physics and astronomy at Cardiff University, agreed that the Earth could theoretically be “kicked out” of the solar system and explained his own hypothesis about how it could have happened. He said: “The planets as they are, are now in stable orbits around the sun, but if the sun meets another star, the gravitational interactions of these bodies can distort these orbits and can cause the Earth to move out of the solar system. . “
However, Davis noted that while the scenario is possible, it is highly unlikely, at least for the foreseeable future.
Davis noted that such stellar encounters are very rare. For example, the star Glass 710 It is predicted that it will approach the sun in about a million years, but even this close passage is unlikely to disturb the planets.
While external forces are unlikely to force Earth to leave the solar system anytime soon, could humanity build machines that could move the planet on its way to independence from the sun?
“The energy required to remove the Earth from its orbit and eject it from the Solar System is enormous, the equivalent of detonating 1 sextillion (1 with 21 zeros after) nuclear bombs at the same time,” Davis said.
Although such an event is far from probable, what would happen if the Earth separated from the solar system? And what effects would there be if our planet ended up permanently plunging into the depths of the universe?
Sirioti said: Earth’s flight into space will lead to it being picked up or swallowed by another star or black hole, and if Earth leaves the solar system, it will likely lead to the end of life on the planet.
The atmosphere, but Earth’s climate, is unlikely to remain very sensitive due to the delicate balance between solar radiation and energy circulating in space, Sirioti added. Davis agreed that most of life on Earth would not survive this catastrophic departure from the solar system. Pointing out that most of the energy used by living organisms on Earth comes from the sun, either directly (such as plants that perform photosynthesis) or indirectly (such as herbivores and carnivores that eat them).
Davis explained that some organisms can survive for a while but eventually die.
Sirioti predicts that our galaxy is about to collide with Andromeda. [أقرب مجرة مجاورة لنا] In about 4.5 billion years. What will cause a huge disturbance in the solar system! He pointed out that the sun is also expected to expand and engulf the Earth over the next five billion years.
So while Earth will eventually leave the solar system one way or another, that’s not something we should worry about for a few billion years.
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