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A journey through the future of the solar system: Which star is predicted to be closest to us?
Among the stars closest to us, many are approaching quietly, and their movements over time may have important effects on our solar system. According to the latest observations, scientists have discovered 131 known stars, as well as white dwarfs, brown dwarfs and other objects, all of which are located within 20 light years (about 6.13 seconds) of the sun. Only 22 of them are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Observation.
"Most of these stars are located in 94 star systems, of which 103 are main sequence stars, 80 are red dwarfs, and 23 are other more massive stars."
Among these celestial bodies, the closest system to us is the Alpha Centauri system, in which Proxima Centauri is 4.2465 light-years away from the Earth. It's worth noting that these stars are not stationary. In the next few million years, many stars will approach the Solar System due to their motion, possibly causing some unforeseen cosmic activity.
In addition to Proxima Centauri, another noteworthy star is Sirius A, which is not only the brightest star in the night sky, but also the largest and brightest star known. Its white dwarf companion, Sirius B, is considered one of the hottest stars in the universe. Whether these stars will change due to each other's gravitational influence in the next hundreds of thousands or even millions of years is also a topic that we need to continue to pay attention to.
"Our solar system is currently located in a region called the Local Interstellar Cloud, which is about 30 light-years in diameter and is enclosed in a larger cavity, the Local Bubble."
The interaction of this series of stars and the prediction of their motions rely on precise astronomical measurements such as asteroid surveys and spectroscopic velocities. According to the results of the second data release of the Gaia telescope in April 2018, it is expected that in the next 15 million years, at least 694 stars will approach the solar system, 26 of which may be within 1 second (3.3 light years), and Another seven have a chance of appearing within 0.5 parsec (1.6 light years).
According to current predictions, the closest star to our solar system is the low-mass orange dwarf Gliese 710, which has a mass of about 60 percent of our sun. It is expected to pass within 0.1696 light-years (10,635 AU) of the Sun in about 1.29 million years, which will be large enough to affect the Oort Cloud in the outer solar system, which covers a range of about 1.2 light-years.
"The approach of Gliese 710 may trigger changes in the universe that we have not predicted, and all of this will unfold gradually in the distant future."
The close movements of small, low-mass stars provide us with a rare opportunity to study how these objects affect our solar system. As technology advances, our ability to predict the motion of interstellar objects is also increasing, and we will be able to obtain more accurate data in the future.
In summary, through continuous astronomical observation and research, we have entered a stage of understanding the deeper secrets of the universe. However, how will future interstellar travel change our understanding of our own location? Are we ready for our upcoming interstellar neighbors?
