Scientists made a disturbing statement about the danger of a rogue star for Earth

"Uninvited guests" in the form of passing stars represent a potential threat to the stability of the entire Solar System. A new astronomical study suggests that Earth could one day be literally ejected from its orbit and leave the Solar System - and this might happen not due to the aging of the Sun, as commonly thought, but due to the chaotic movement of a rogue star.

Although such a scenario belongs to the very distant future - we're talking about billion-year timescales - scientists are already modeling how strongly passing stars can affect the orbital architecture of our system. The results of these calculations, as noted by the publication Daily Galaxy, are causing concern.

In classical models of Solar System development, it is typically viewed as an isolated structure - with minimal external influence. However, the reality is that our galaxy, the Milky Way, is filled with stars, and some of them occasionally pass in close proximity to our system.

Usually, such flybys don't have a significant impact: the gravitational fields of stars are too weak at large distances. But in certain cases, a star may pass close enough to disrupt the fragile gravitational balance that keeps planets in stable orbits.

The new study, published in the scientific journal Icarus, is dedicated to evaluating such scenarios. Scientists conducted 2000 simulations using NASA's Horizons system, modeling the passage of stars in close proximity to the Solar System. The results showed that such events can reduce the long-term stability of planetary orbits by almost 50%.

Moreover, this instability is distributed unevenly: some planets are more vulnerable than others.

Among all planets, Mercury attracted special attention from researchers. It is initially considered the most unstable planet with an orbit that becomes increasingly elongated (eccentric) over time. This makes it extremely vulnerable to additional external disturbances.

According to simulation results, Mercury is most often lost as a result of gravitational disturbances from a passing star. Possible consequences include falling into the Sun, colliding with Venus, or leaving its orbit.

In some scenarios, Mars - another relatively light planet with a mobile orbit - also "falls out" of the system.

Earth demonstrates greater stability in these models. However, researchers emphasize: if another planet becomes destabilized and changes its trajectory, this could also affect Earth's orbit - up to its ejection beyond the Solar System or collision with another body.

Despite the fact that such scenarios may only materialize billions of years from now, the study emphasizes an important fact: the stability of the Solar System is much less guaranteed than previously assumed.

Earth may not have to wait until the Sun depletes its resources and turns into a red giant. A random passage of a star too close may be a sufficient condition for the destruction of planets or even a complete restructuring of the entire Solar System.