Have you ever wondered what might happen if Earth deorbits from solar space?
Luckily you're not alone, as various scientists have been discussing this topic, too.
Science fiction author Liu Cixin explained how the planet might leave the solar system.
Cixin said in "The Wandering Earth" that global leaders will cooperate in deorbiting the Earth to prevent a potentially harmful solar flare.
However, this odd phenomenon is unlikely to occur, according to Matteo Ceriotti, an aeronautical engineer from the University of Gaslow.
Scientists Debate About Earth Deorbiting From Solar System
According to Cixin, the planet's leaders decided to launch Earth outside of the solar system to avoid a solar flare that is predicted to destroy all of the terrestrial planets.
Ceriotti pointed out that although it is rare, there is still a potential that the Earth might leave the solar system via deorbiting.
He even offered a theory explaining how the planet may deviate from its orbit.
"The Earth could be moved away from its orbit through the action of a massive interstellar object, flying through interstellar space and coming into the solar system and passing close to the Earth," Ceriotti was quoted as saying in a report from Space.com.
According to the professor in space systems engineering, the Earth might be dislodged from its orbit by the impact of a large interstellar object that enters the solar system and passes quite close to the Earth while traveling through interstellar space.
This is a cartoon illustrating the planetary photobombing concept. Photobombers like Mars and the Moon could sneak into a picture of Earth, if you tried to observe it in a way similar to how scientists will try to find and understand potentially habitable worlds outside our solar system.
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He also mentioned the possibility of a "flyby," or close encounter, between Earth and the enormous space object.
There is a possibility that the plant and the interstellar object will exchange momentum and energy during this occurrence.
The Earth's orbit will probably be disturbed after that. Naturally, this is still only a notion because there is no concrete proof that it may happen.
Things That Affect Earth's Orbit
According to the National Air and Space Museum, the Earth's orbit might be impacted by several variables. One of these is the gravity of the Sun becoming less powerful.
All of the planets in the solar system revolve around the Sun as of this writing. However, astronomers claimed that the Sun might gradually lose mass, diminishing its gravitational attraction, much like other stars.
In addition, a huge object, like an asteroid, can potentially deorbit the Earth. The Earth may deviate from its initial orbital path if the celestial body's impact speed and force are sufficient.
In either scenario, the likelihood of a planet completely switching systems is low. That would need the planet completely escape the star's gravitational attraction and travel to another star system.
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