Abstract
Stellar Astrometry![Figure][1] Many new comets could be produced by the passage of the small star Gliese 710 through the Oort Cloud. PHOTO: WILLIAM ATTARD MCCARTHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO The Gaia astrometry satellite has greatly improved measurements of the position and motion of nearby stars. Berski and Dybczynski searched the Gaia data for the star that will pass closest to the Sun. They found that Gliese 710, a small faint star, will pass within 13,000 ± 6,000 astronomical units (one astronomical unit is roughly the distance from Earth to the Sun). That will be well within the Oort Cloud, a collection of small bodies on the outskirts of our solar system. Some of those bodies will be knocked inward, generating large numbers of new comets. Earth is safe for now, though; the encounter will happen in 1.3 million years. Astron. Astrophys. 595 , L10 (2016). [1]: pending:yes
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
