Star Predicted to Blast Through the Solar System

Discovery News ^ | Saturday, March 13, 2010 | Ian O'Neill

[SunkenCiv]

An orange dwarf star named Gliese 710 is powering in our direction and an astronomer has calculated an 86 percent chance of the interstellar interloper smashing through the Oort Cloud, located in the outermost reaches of our solar system. This could have the devastating effect of scattering the icy Oort Cloud objects (or OCOs), causing them to plunge toward the sun and the inner planets, potentially bombarding Earth with comets... It is hypothesized that close encounters of the stellar kind have kicked OCOs out of the Oort Cloud in the past, creating some of the long period comets we see today, such as comet Hale Bopp. It is also thought that such encounters could periodically cause mass extinction events on Earth through comet impacts. Although the star -- currently located 63 light years from Earth and approximately half the mass of our sun -- has been known to be heading for us for some time, this is the first time such a high probability for a close encounter has been calculated. But could Gliese 710 penetrate even deeper into the solar system? Possibly, although those odds are more cheery. The chances of the star reaching as deep as the Kuiper Belt (near the orbit of Pluto) is around 1 in 1000. This might not be an imminent threat, and it's debatable whether any human descendants will be watching the cosmic flyby, it's nice to know when the next risk of comet bombardment may occur. Although I doubt we'd be able to do much about it anyway.

[Acrobat]

Funny thing: Exactly the same thing happened during the first exodus of Jews from Egypt... (<- wierd biblical reference)

And today, as then, Israel will be fighting for it's survival in both times... hmmmm...

[dr_who]

That’s right buckeroos, Lone Star is ridin’ into our system, gun’s blazin. The only man who can save us is US Marshall Matt Dillon ...with the help of Festus!

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[dcgst4]

LOL!!!

[Nik Naym]

So this thing comes along and destroys earth in about a million and a half years. Great, just great. We just finish paying off Obama’s debts and the world ends a year later. Just my luck.

[Dacus943]

"Almost enough time to pay off 0bama's deficit."

Or that stimulus plan to finally kick in...

[Williams]

From a comment posted to the story. Yep, you guessed it:

“The chances of humankind starting to “develop and execute several very ambitious, expensive and long-lived plans” are slim and none. Consider how many are currently in denial of the imminent problems we will soon be experiencing from the effects of global warming. And that will be happening a lot sooner than Gliese 710 is slated to visit.”

[wendy1946]

How much time do we have (I don’t wanna die a virgin...)? ....

[Noob1999]

Wow! Thanks for the head’s up!

I’d best go down to my shelter and check the date code on my peas and green beans!

[SunkenCiv]

Not to worry, we may have less time than 1.5 million years.

• Earth under attack from an invisible star?

[CyberAnt]

I don’t think luck will help .. the next 3 will be on our knees.

[ExGeeEye]

Things to Worry About: Asteroid Impact, Massive gamma ray burst from an outside the solar system event, BSE nvCJD, SARS, Smallpox, Ebola ,Flu- (human, bird, swine, duck, chicken), Salmonella, Carbs, Fat, Protein, Terrorists, Anthrax, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Too little ozone, Too much ozone, Global warming, Global cooling, Global Warming Chaos, Pesticides, Deer ticks, Nerve gas, Dirty bombs, Haliburton, SUVs, Guns, Acid rain, Too much Rain, Too little Rain, Nuclear power, Non-nuclearpower, Nuclear war, Conventional war, Wind Turbines shredding endangered birds, Obesity, Starvation, BCS, The Yankees with A’Rod, NCAA Basketball Tournament Selections, Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes ,Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards, Akitas, green ketchup, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Pet spiders, Yard Sale Congestion, Red King Crabs, Shadow people, Cattle mutilations, Junk Science, Supersize fries, ”Our worst fears were confirmed”, steroids in baseball, microwave popcorn, HIV, Peak Oil, Cholesterol both LDL and HDL, second hand smoke, Google Telephone Searches, backyard nuclear reactor, Nitrogen pollution, Carbon Dioxide Reported at Record Levels, Dangerous' Curry Colourings, Cataracts from computers, brain tumors from cell phones, fire ants, killer bees, killer tomatoes, killer clowns, the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Terrell Owens and Ron Artest, Exploding cell phones, cryptococcus gattii, methylisothiazolinone (MIT), "holiday heart," , U.S. Teens Are Among the Worst at Math, picking your teeth in public, "The Hamdog.", Plastic Wrap in a Microwave, mercury, perfluorooctanoic acid, Teflon, KFC frying oil, Starbucks high calorie coffee drinks, Southern San Andreas fault waiting to explode:, Study Says Earth's Temp at 400-Year High, Earth hottest it's been in 2,000 years,strong electromagnetic currents, everything spinning out of control, more women are clinically depressed than ever before, Warming May Make 'Perfect Storm' of Disease, Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia, Researchers Say Popular Fish Contains Potentially Dangerous Fatty Acid Combination (Tilapia) , More Kidney Stone Disease Projected Due To Global Warming , Earth likely to disappear in two centuries, warn experts,. Reusable bag risk, Global warming of 7C 'could kill billions this century'', Jumbo Slice" pizza joints, New York, Boston "Directly in Path" of Sea Level Rise, The next crisis has already begun, Apocalypse now (World to end, Bush's fault), Sun's Plasma Balls Could Wipe Out Human Civilization....

and now...

Star Predicted to Blast Through the Solar System !!!!!!11!!!!one!!!!!eleven!

[The Comedian]

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[sig226]

On the contrary, it’s clearly global warming . . .

[Bean Counter]

[bunkerhill7]

“Dwarf Star Predicted to Blast Through the Solar System”
-Hey! I thought Mickey Rooney was already blasting away in California!

[Jimmy Valentine]

Dammit! And I already did my taxes.

[left that other site]

You and me BOTH!

[gleeaikin]

Things to Worry About. You forgot high fructose corn syrup and the obesity epidemic, Hanta virus, and the endemic Bubonic Plague in the rodents of 17 of our western states. Let’s keep it real. ;-)

[ExGeeEye]

kill me now