Did our Sun capture alien worlds?

User rating: 3 / 5 after 1 vote(s)

Sun capture
Close encounter may explain some objects beyond Neptune

Computer simulations show a close encounter with a passing star about 4 billion years ago may have given our solar system its abrupt edge and put small, alien worlds into distant orbits around our Sun.
The study, which used a supercomputer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., was published in the Dec. 2 issue of the journal Nature by physicist Ben Bromley of the University of Utah and astronomer Scott Kenyon of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.


Full story »
All News summaries from Space & Earth science news
All News summaries for December 04, 2004

Potentially toxic flame retardants highest in California households

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
In what may be an unintended consequence of efforts to make furniture safer and less flammable, residents of California have blood levels of potentially toxic flame retardants called PBDEs at levels nearly ...

Researchers document world's mammals in crisis

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
From majestic African elephants to tiny and often unappreciated rodents, mammals on Earth are in a state of crisis. One in four mammal species on Earth is being pushed to extinction, according to the Global Mammal Assessment, ...

Tectonic fragment linked to Tokyo's quake peril: scientists

Oct 05, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
A massive slab of rock lurking beneath the Kanto Plain on the central Japanese island of Honshu is a major source of the earthquake threat that dogs Tokyo, scientists said on Sunday.

International Space Station changes orbit awaiting tourist: report

Oct 05, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
The orbital path of the International Space Station (ISS) was successfully adjusted Saturday to accommodate the landing of the world's sixth space tourist in eight days time, Interfax reported citing Russian ...

AP Investigation: Ike environmental toll apparent

Oct 05, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive