Why it's a Mind Blow: For those of you who were disappointed by the recent discovery that the Mayan Calendar extends well past 2012, I have a new end of days scenario to brighten your day!
The Orange Dwarf Star Gliese 710 is currently barreling towards our solar system at break-neck speed. It's only 14% the mass of our sun and it's still 63 light years away, but in just 1.36 million years, Gliese 710 is likely to pass within 1.1 light years of planet Earth.
Now, you might anticipate many problems with another sun visiting itself upon our descendants. Will it cook them or use gravity to rip our planet away from its habitable zone?
Nope. Gliese 710 isn't massive enough or hot enough to have that impact here on Earth. The real threat is the countless comets that will come shooting towards our home world. Gliese 710 will pass through the Oort Cloud, an area of the outer solar system that contains millions of icy bodies. These comets in wait will be pulled by the star's gravity and fired like apocalyptic boomerangs towards the inner solar system.
Gliese 710 promises to deliver a galactic shooting gallery of biblical proportions. So heads up future us! And for those of you who need a doomsday scenario in order to get through the day, well, there you go!
Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24917/
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