Interstellar visitor may have altered planetary orbits in Solar System, say scientists
A group of scientists has proposed that a massive interstellar object, potentially eight times the size of Jupiter, might have dramatically influenced the orbits of planets in our solar system. The study, currently published on the arXiv preprint database but not yet peer-reviewed, suggests that this celestial intruder passed close to where Mars orbits today, reshaping the paths of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
For years, researchers have noted a discrepancy between the ideal concentric, planar arrangement of planetary orbits and their current three-dimensional orientations. To investigate, the team hypothesized that approximately four billion years ago, a star-sized object entered our solar system. They conducted 50,000 simulations over 20 million years, varying the visitor's mass, velocity, and proximity to the Sun.
Their findings indicate that in about 1% of scenarios, the object's gravitational influence could explain the current orbital patterns of the planets. According to the simulations, the interstellar visitor may have approached within 1.69 astronomical units (AU) of the Sun—just beyond Mars' present orbit. Such proximity would have allowed its gravity to nudge the planets into new trajectories.
While previous theories attributed these irregularities to interactions among the planets themselves, this study posits that a one-time interstellar event may provide a more plausible explanation. The researchers also called for further investigation into the potential effects of such an encounter on minor planets in the asteroid belt and the trans-Neptunian region.
"We estimate that there is about a 1-in-100 chance that such a flyby produces a dynamical architecture similar to that of the solar system," the researchers stated, adding that this encounter could account for the moderate eccentricities and inclinations observed in planetary orbits.
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Pregnant cow beheaded, calf mutilated in Karnataka
Uttara Kannada (PTI): Miscreants beheaded a pregnant cow, cut off its legs and mutilated its calf here, sources said on Monday.
They took away the cow’s body and left behind its head and legs, and the calf.
According to the police, the incident occurred at Kondakuli, Salkodu village in Honnavara Taluk of Uttara Kannada district.
They said the cow belonged to Krishna Achari, who had left the animal for grazing on Sunday.
On Monday, when Achari went searching for the cow, he found its head, legs and the mutilated body of the calf, they said.
Police registered a case against unknown miscreants under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and started an investigation.
This comes close on the heels of severing the udders of three cows in Chamarajpet in Bengaluru and injuring the tail of a cow in the temple town of Nanjangud in Mysuru.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara ordered an inquiry into the incidents of attack on cows with the BJP and Hindu organisations raising their concerns over it.
“We have to find a solution to this. This morning I gave instructions that we have to take this seriously and we have to identify people who have such a mindset," Parameshwara said.
He further said that he has ordered the police department to find out whether such people belong to any organisation, do it individually or is there any provocation behind it.
The BJP blamed the Congress government for being lenient towards the fanatic elements.
Party state president B Y VIjayendra said the Honnavara incident has made everyone hang their head in shame. “Yet, the Home Minister is pretending that the law and order situation is good here. The Siddaramaiah government is showing a soft corner for these anti-nationals, who have no fear. The state government and the Home Minister should have woken up by now," he stated.
Alleging that the law and order is deteriorating, he said a “communal atmosphere" is being created in the state.
ಗೋ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ, ಈ ನೆಲದ ಮಾನವ ಧರ್ಮದ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ, ಈ ನೆಲದ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ, ಕೋಟ್ಯಂತರ ಜನರ ಭಾವನೆಯ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ ಎಂದು ಪೂಜಿಸುವ ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಚಾಮರಾಜಪೇಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಕ್ಷಸಿ ಮನಸ್ಥಿತಿಯ ಪಾಪಿಗಳು ನಿರ್ದಯವಾಗಿ ಹಸುಗಳ ಕೆಚ್ಚಲನ್ನು ಭೀಕರವಾಗಿ ಕತ್ತರಿಸಿದ್ದ ಅಮಾನುಷ ಕೃತ್ಯ, ಬಳಿಕ ನಂಜನಗೂಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕಳ ಬಾಲ… pic.twitter.com/rZvdRqovqP
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) January 20, 2025
