irregular moons Archives

September 10, 2024September 10, 2024 by Evan Gough

A Stellar Flyby Jumbled Up the Outer Solar System

This is a screenshot from a supercomputer simulation. It shows how an ancient stellar flyby shaped the Solar System. Among other things, the flyby can explain the Solar System's population of irregular moons. Image Credit: Forschungszentrum Jülich

An ancient passerby may have visited the Sun and inadvertently helped shape the Solar System into what it is today. It happened billions of years ago when a stellar drifter came to within 110 astronomical units (AU) of our Sun. The effects were long-lasting and we can see evidence of the visitor’s fleeting encounter throughout the Solar System.