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A passing star could fling Earth out of orbit

Distant Pluto is in even bigger trouble, simulations suggest

A photo composite of Earth from space

Passing stars jostle the solar system and could someday cause another planet to smash into Earth (shown here in a satellite image) or eject it from the solar system altogether.

NASA

By Ken Croswell

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Bad news, earthlings. Computer simulations of the solar system’s future reveal a new risk facing us all: The gravitational tug of a passing star could either cause another planet to smack into Earth or else fling our planet into the sun or far away from it, where any inhabitants would freeze.