A recent study by Nathan A. Kaib and Sean N. Raymond has revealed that the orbits of planets in our Solar System are not as stable as previously thought, thanks to passing stars making close encounters with the Sun’s gravitational field. The researchers conducted 2000 simulations of the Solar System over a period of 5 billion years, including various stellar flybys, and found that these encounters significantly impacted the stability of planetary orbits.
According to the study, published in the journal Icarus, the Solar System is about 50% less stable when considering the effects of stellar flybys. The simulations showed that there is a ~5% chance that passing stars will destabilize Pluto over the next 5 billion years and a 1 in 200 chance that the entire Solar System will be affected.
The researchers believe that their findings have significant implications for understanding not only the dynamics of our own Solar System but also other star systems, including those with thousands of exoplanets. The study’s results demonstrate that even small gravitational interactions can have a profound impact on planetary orbits over time.
The discovery highlights the importance of considering the broader context of the Solar System, taking into account factors beyond traditional isolation from nearby celestial bodies.
Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/passing-stars-could-have-a-significant-impact-on-the-future-of-our-solar-system