New data reveals that about 2.47 million years ago, the sun-sized star HD 7977 flew incredibly close to our solar system. This event, recorded from a distance of several thousand astronomical units, may affect the Oort cloud and other cosmic objects. Using data from the Gaia probe, scientists determined that HD 7977 is likely a binary star.

This star can approach the Sun at a distance of less than 12.3 thousand astronomical units, which is extremely close from a cosmical perspective. This discovery gave new meaning to the history of the orbits of comets and other objects in the solar system.

Scientists have also studied the influence of other stars on long-period comets. The star HD 7977 in particular can influence the perihelion of 40% of long-period comets. This highlights the importance of considering the influence of such space “guests” when modeling orbital trajectories.

StepPED’s Solar System “guest” catalog update included 59 stars flying less than one parsec from the Sun. Among these, the star HD 102928 stands out, which passed by our system approximately 3.94 million years ago. These discoveries demonstrate the potentially significant influence of nearby stars on the dynamics of comets and asteroids, which could lead to significant changes in the Solar System. Source