New Delhi: The Solar System may have gone through dense cloud cover about two million years ago, possibly sending Earth into a "deep freeze," with several ice ages coming and going until about 12,000 years ago, according to new research.
According to the US space agency, NASA, the solar system, which includes the Sun and eight planets, as well as several dwarf planets such as Pluto, is wrapped in a "giant bubble" called the heliosphere.
The heliosphere is formed by the solar wind, a constant flow of charged particles coming from the Sun that travel three times the distance to Pluto. According to NASA, the "giant bubble" protects us from rays coming from the galaxy that could potentially alter our genes.
Ice ages, when glaciers cover a large portion of the Earth's surface, are said to occur for several reasons, including the planet's tilt and rotation, changes in plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, and increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Is."But what if such large changes were the result not only of Earth's environment, but also of the Sun's position in the galaxy?" asked the researchers, including those from Boston University in the US.
The latest study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, found that the cold stellar cloud interfered with the heliosphere in such a way that Earth, along with the other planets, were no longer under its protection. The interstellar medium refers to the space between the stars in our galaxy and beyond the heliosphere.
Researchers believe the findings show that the Sun's location in space may have shaped Earth's history more than previously thought.
"This paper is the first to quantitatively show that an encounter between the Sun and something outside the Solar System could have affected Earth's climate," said lead author Merav Ofer, professor of astronomy at Boston University. .,
"Stars move, and now this paper is showing not only that they move, but that they also undergo drastic changes," Ofer said.
For the study, researchers used computer models to visualize the state of the Sun, heliosphere and planets two million years ago.
They found that one of the clouds that make up the Local Ribbon System of Cold Clouds – a series of large, dense, very cold clouds in our galaxy – could have collided with the heliosphere. The cloud is called a local link of cold cloud.
If this had actually happened, the Earth would have been completely exposed to the interstellar medium, where gas and dust mix with leftover nuclear elements from exploded stars, including iron and plutonium, the researchers said. Most of which is filtered by the heliosphere.
However, in the absence of protection, particles can easily reach Earth, he said.The researchers also said the phenomenon matches evidence on Earth that shows increased levels of iron and plutonium in the ocean, the Moon, Antarctic ice and snowpack over the same time period.
He said the timing also matches temperature records indicating a cooling period.
"Our cosmic neighborhood beyond the solar system rarely affects life on Earth," said co-author Avi Loeb of Harvard University.
"It is exciting to learn that our passage through dense clouds a few million years ago could have exposed Earth to very large fluxes of cosmic rays and hydrogen atoms. Our results open a new window into the relationship between the evolution of life on Earth and Are.And our cosmic neighborhood,” Loeb said.
According to the US space agency, NASA, the solar system, which includes the Sun and eight planets, as well as several dwarf planets such as Pluto, is wrapped in a "giant bubble" called the heliosphere.
The heliosphere is formed by the solar wind, a constant flow of charged particles coming from the Sun that travel three times the distance to Pluto. According to NASA, the "giant bubble" protects us from rays coming from the galaxy that could potentially alter our genes.
Ice ages, when glaciers cover a large portion of the Earth's surface, are said to occur for several reasons, including the planet's tilt and rotation, changes in plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, and increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Is."But what if such large changes were the result not only of Earth's environment, but also of the Sun's position in the galaxy?" asked the researchers, including those from Boston University in the US.
The latest study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, found that the cold stellar cloud interfered with the heliosphere in such a way that Earth, along with the other planets, were no longer under its protection. The interstellar medium refers to the space between the stars in our galaxy and beyond the heliosphere.
Researchers believe the findings show that the Sun's location in space may have shaped Earth's history more than previously thought.
"This paper is the first to quantitatively show that an encounter between the Sun and something outside the Solar System could have affected Earth's climate," said lead author Merav Ofer, professor of astronomy at Boston University. .,
"Stars move, and now this paper is showing not only that they move, but that they also undergo drastic changes," Ofer said.
For the study, researchers used computer models to visualize the state of the Sun, heliosphere and planets two million years ago.
They found that one of the clouds that make up the Local Ribbon System of Cold Clouds – a series of large, dense, very cold clouds in our galaxy – could have collided with the heliosphere. The cloud is called a local link of cold cloud.
If this had actually happened, the Earth would have been completely exposed to the interstellar medium, where gas and dust mix with leftover nuclear elements from exploded stars, including iron and plutonium, the researchers said. Most of which is filtered by the heliosphere.
However, in the absence of protection, particles can easily reach Earth, he said.The researchers also said the phenomenon matches evidence on Earth that shows increased levels of iron and plutonium in the ocean, the Moon, Antarctic ice and snowpack over the same time period.
He said the timing also matches temperature records indicating a cooling period.
"Our cosmic neighborhood beyond the solar system rarely affects life on Earth," said co-author Avi Loeb of Harvard University.
"It is exciting to learn that our passage through dense clouds a few million years ago could have exposed Earth to very large fluxes of cosmic rays and hydrogen atoms. Our results open a new window into the relationship between the evolution of life on Earth and Are.And our cosmic neighborhood,” Loeb said.
