This Is Not the Way We Usually Imagine the World Will End
If our species manages to hang on for a few billion additional years, we might be in for a wild ride — stars passing in the vicinity of the sun could cause planets in our solar system to collide or even be ejected, according to a paper published last month in the journal Icarus.
The findings even suggest a scenario in which our world ends not consumed by the sun, but in a carom prompted by the powers of gravity.
The Milky Way is home to hundreds of billions of stars. Each one is in motion, zinging in its own orbit around the galactic center. Consider a long enough span of time — something astronomers are wont to do — and it's inevitable that another star will pass closer to the sun than Proxima Centauri, currently our nearest stellar neighbor. In fact, calculations based on orbits of stars cataloged by the Gaia spacecraft suggest that, every million years, 33 stars, give or take a few, do just that.
But for another star's gravitational effects to have a sizable impact on our solar system, you need a much closer shave than that, according to Nate Kaib, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute. 'Once you get a couple hundred times the distance from the Earth to the Sun, you can really start to destabilize stuff,' he said.
Dr. Kaib and Sean Raymond, an astronomer at the Bordeaux Astrophysical Laboratory in France, set about determining the likelihood and effects of such cosmic near misses. The researchers ran thousands of computer simulations, modeling the gravitational effects of passing stars on the solar system's eight planets and Pluto. The team considered stars with masses, velocities and orbits representative of objects in our stellar neighborhood.
Each simulation modeled the passage of five billion years. Dr. Kaib said that such a long-term perspective is necessary because it often takes tens of millions of years or even longer for a planet's orbit to be perturbed by a passing star. 'You don't see the effects for a long, long time,' he said.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Blue Origin rocket launch: How to watch livestream of next human spaceflight
A spaceflight that was delayed a week ago could commence this weekend as Blue Origin plans to once again attempt to launch a rocket that will take a group of six people to the very edge of space. The mission, known as NS-33, will be the 13th human spaceflight Blue Origin has conducted since 2021, when billionaire Jeff Bezos, the company's founder, boarded a New Shepard spacecraft for its maiden flight. The next six people selected to board the launch vehicle are set to join an exclusive club of more than 60 others who have flown on the brief 11-minute missions in the last four years. Awaiting them about 60 miles above Earth? A few precious moments of weightlessness in the crew capsule, and stunning views of space and the ground below. It's an experience the rest of us can only imagine, but at least those interested can watch the launch from West Texas from the comfort of their own home. Here's what to know about the next Blue Origin launch, as well as how to watch a livestream of the mission. Blue Origin's next crewed launch, known as NS-33, was due to get off the ground Saturday, June 21. The company first opted to delay the mission to Sunday, June 22 due to "persistent high winds" before announcing at 5:48 a.m. CT that mission operators were once again postponing the launch "due to weather." The mission is now being targeted for 8:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. CT) Sunday, June 29, Blue Origin announced. Backup opportunities are available if the launch is scrubbed again on Monday, June 30, according to a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory. Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches take place from the company's private ranch facility known as Launch Site One. The facility is located more than 140 miles east of El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border. Blue Origin will provide a webcast of the launch beginning about 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled liftoff on its website. Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, is the founder of the private space technology company Blue Origin. Bezos himself even boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012. For nearly four years since its first crewed mission, the New Shepard spacecraft has served as a powerful symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry. In addition to sending space tourists on brief joy rides to the edge of space, Blue Origin has also increasingly sought to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX. Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket, which flew on its inaugural flight test in January 2025 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is also being developed for future spaceflights. At 320 feet tall, the spacecraft rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Here's a look at the passengers on the next Blue Origin New Shepard spaceflight, known as NS-33: Allie Kuehner, an environmentalist who serves on the board of Nature is Nonpartisan, a nonprofit organization advocating for bipartisan solutions to environmental issues Carl Kuehner, who chairs Building and Land Technology, a real estate development, investment and property management firm Leland Larson, a philanthropist and former CEO of School Bus Services and Larson Transportation Services – both family-owned public transportation businesses based in Oregon Freddie Rescigno, Jr., CEO of Commodity Cables, an electrical company he founded in 2001 Owolabi Salis, an attorney and a financial consultant Jim Sitkin, a retired lawyer from California Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. The spacecraft operates completely autonomously, meaning no pilots are aboard. During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, those aboard the capsule become weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. While experiencing a few minutes of microgravity, passengers have the opportunity to unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule's large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth. Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad. The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a "stable freefall' – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust. Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Origin launch rescheduled: Date, time, how to watch crewed mission
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Ingredient in common kitchen herbs could target Alzheimer's, but don't change any recipes just yet
Experts believe they've identified a chemical compound in certain herbs that could help mitigate or prevent Alzheimer's disease — but before anyone makes a run for the spice rack, there are a few catches. In a study published in the journal Antioxidants earlier this year, researchers from the Scripps Research Institute identified a compound called carnosic acid, which is prevalent in rosemary and sage. The compound could prove therapeutic for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, the experts concluded. Carnosic acid contains "striking antioxidant [and] anti-inflammatory properties," the researchers wrote in the findings. Scripps Research postdoctoral associate Piu Banerjee and board-certified neurologist Dr. Stuart Lipton, based in California, spoke with Fox News Digital about the results. "In this study, we observed that administering this drug to mice that had advanced Alzheimer's-like disease significantly improved the number of neurons, as well as the number of synapses or connections between the brain cells," the team said. The experts added, "It also reduced inflammation that is caused by the current anti-amyloid antibody therapies. We also observed an improvement in the learning and memory behavior of the mice that received the drug." "From the results of our animal studies, we are cautiously optimistic for its success in the human clinical trials." Banerjee and Lipton also noted that carnosic acid is a "prodrug," meaning it's inactive at first — but once it enters the body, it's activated by oxidative and inflammatory stress. "It specifically targets cells undergoing oxidative and inflammatory stress, without affecting the healthy, normal brain cells," Banerjee said. "This further makes it a safe option for therapeutics." The experts agreed that carnosic acid could potentially improve the inflammation that generally occurs in most aging brains. There are cautions, however. Courtney Kloske, director of scientific engagement for the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association, told Fox News Digital that studies based on a mouse model of Alzheimer's can be helpful but are not conclusive. There is insufficient clinical evidence to recommend rosemary and sage as a standard therapy. "Models are important in helping us understand the basic biology of the disease, but we need human studies in representative populations for ideas to be fully validated," Kloske said. "Therefore, while these are intriguing findings, more research is needed to understand the impacts and outcomes of these compounds on people living with, or at risk for, Alzheimer's." Cooking sage and rosemary won't provide the full anti-inflammatory effects, Banerjee and Lipton stressed. "Critically, one cannot take sufficient herbs safely to produce the same effect as our new drug," Banerjee said. The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Kloske advised that, at this point, "no one should consume these herbs (or carnosic acid) to prevent or treat Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairment." Dr. Lee Murray, a neurologist in Jackson, Tennessee, echoed Kloske's concerns. "Before patients start incorporating rosemary and sage in every dish they eat, we need to remember these studies are pre-clinical," Murray told Fox News Digital. "Currently, there is insufficient clinical evidence to recommend rosemary and sage as a standard therapy for Alzheimer's dementia." Murray, however, said the data "is encouraging" and opens the door to additional pathways for potential therapeutics. Banerjee said she hopes that "our drug will start human clinical trials soon." She added, "If it proves to be effective, it will be a great new drug for those suffering from Alzheimer's … From the results of our animal studies, we are cautiously optimistic for its success in human clinical trials."
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
In the Quest to Shrink NASA, Trump Forgets National Security
On a crisp evening in December 2023, I received an urgent alert: a swarm of unidentified drones had been detected above Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, inside highly restricted airspace. As NASA administrator at the time, I was immediately concerned. Langley is one of the most sensitive sites in the United States — home to F-22 Raptors, supersonic stealth fighters with highly classified capabilities and NORAD operations. It also happens to neighbor NASA's Langley Research Center, where our experimental technology had spotted the drones. Isolated drone sightings around military bases weren't unheard-of, but nothing like this swarm had ever happened before. I called senior Pentagon officials twice and raised the issue with staff at the National Security Council. I noted it was NASA technology that was able to see the drones, and based on our observations, this activity wasn't random: It's plausible the drones launched from a ship or submarine lurking as little as three miles offshore in international waters, or perhaps from trucks or trailers concealed in nearby woodlands. The incursion by the drones lasted 17 days. To my knowledge, we still do not know their origin or purpose, or how much of a threat they posed. But it was thanks to NASA technology that they were even picked up in the first place. The Air Force base did not have that capability. If a drone incursion could do something like this at Langley, what would stop a determined adversary from launching a flock of spacecraft-downing drones at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station? Or Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? Or Wallops Island off Virginia? These aren't just sites for launching rockets into space and delivering NASA payloads into orbit — they're strategic targets vital to the defense of our homeland. The events at Langley underscore how although NASA is a civilian agency for space exploration, its role stretches beyond that. Its study of the environment of space makes it possible for the United States to launch and operate satellites vital for spotting unusual things that NASA calls 'anomalies' and allowing communications across the globe. Its technological advancements have made it possible to develop state-of-the-art rockets and aircraft that few other countries can match. Winning the race to the moon bolstered national prestige and geopolitical dominance that helped the United States win the Cold War. NASA's fleet of Earth observation satellites gives vulnerable communities the information they need to plan for an uncertain future under climate change. And its scientific research into the furthest reaches of the solar system and beyond opens our eyes to the awesome nature of the universe, reminding us of our shared humanity. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
