Pluto's Orbit

[astrokid14]

I heard that in around 900 000 000 years, when Barnard's Star is the closest star to the sun, it will capture Pluto due to Pluto's eccentric orbit, and Pluto will orbit it. I was wondering if this had any basis in reality?

 

[brellis]

I'm not an expert, but I did a quick google search and found this article:<br /><br />http://www.utah.edu/unews/releases/04/dec/starencounter.html<br /><br />There are some models theorizing that 4 billion years ago, there was another star close enough to our sun to perturb the orbits of KBO's, but no future close encounters are anticipated.<br /><br />From the article:<br />" Does the solar system face another destructive encounter with a neighboring star? Not according to Bromley, who says the chance of that happening is “effectively nil” because the sun no longer is close to other stars in a cluster as it once was."<br /><br />So it seems that Pluto is safe! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[astrokid14]

Thanks for the article link.

 

[3488]

I about 1.25 million years a small, rather obscure star (can't remember its title) will pass about eight light months away from our sun. It is a red dwarf, only about 12% the mass of the sun, but will appear of the first magnitude at closest approach. However its low mass wil not affect the orbits of the planets in any way or even the Kuiper Belt. However it will stir up the Oort Cloud though, perhaps in about 2.25 million years, (takes about a million years for a comet from the Oort cloud to arrive in our vicinity), the skies will be graced by numerous brilliant comets??? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[superluminal]

(can't remember its title)<br /><br />Was it The Ancient Nemesis... . . .... ?<br /><br />Sorry.... I couldn't resist the urge to plug my new Novel.<br /><br /> Which is about the Pluto, Charon, Nyx, Hydra system and also three other small moons that are discovered when four astronauts journey there in 2186 from mars base.<br /><br />should be on the market by Aug or Sept. 06 www.trafford.com<br /><br />please don't think I'm trying to hijack the thread. I'm not. I worked eight years on this science fiction novel.<br /><br />I'm just honored to talk to intelligent people here at www.space.com <br /><br />In thirty days I'll start my own thread and share with all here. You have my word. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><strong><font size="3" color="#3366ff">Columbia and Challenger </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="3" color="#3366ff">Starships of Heroes</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[qso1]

Barnards is not going to pass close enough to have much of an effect on Plutos orbit, much less capture it. Plutos orbit is actually not that eccentric, having an eccentricity less than .25, you may be thinking of inclination which plutos orbit is inclined 17 degrees.<br /><br />The main reason a capture scenario is highly unlikely is sheer distance. Barnards star is on a path that will take it some 3.75 light years from us 11,800 years from now. Barnards is currently 4.22 Ly distant. To put that into perspective, just 1 light year is 5.8 trillion miles. Pluto does not get past 4 billion miles from the sun in its travels around the sun. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Barnard star is too small to cause any effect.It is almost a brown dwarf.

 

[qso1]

True, its much smaller than the sun so its going to have even less effect at its distance even when passing. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

"I believe you're referring to Gliese 710. It will be passing the solar system at a distance of about 1.1 light years in 1.4 million years,it probably will cause a slight increase in the infall of comets, though hopefully not an extinction event" "<br /> <br /><br />I hope by that time we will be far out in the Galaxy, & capable of anything that comes our way.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[brellis]

rlb discussed Gliese 710 in another thread . Oort cloud objects may be affected but KBO's won't, according to those smarties with amazing telescopic vision! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[brellis]

When I was a student at UCLA 25 years ago (yikes!), I participated in the recording of native languages that were about to disappear. I'm glad to read about Trafford's efforts to preserve endangered languages today.<br /><br />Good luck with your novel. btw, Asimov wrote a good Nemesis story, too. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[3488]

It seems as though Pluto's orbit is not anything special, many KBOs have the 2:3 resonance with Neptune.<br /><br />2003 UB313, Triton, Pluto, Titania, Rhea, Oberon, Iapetus, Orcus, Charon, Quaoar, Varuna, Ariel, Umbriel, Tethys & Dione, all seem to occupy three very distinct size brackets. <br /><br />2003 UB313, Triton & Pluto, about 2,200 KM across.<br /><br />Titania, Rhea, Oberon & Iapetus, about 1,500 KM across. <br /><br />Orcus (2004 DW), Charon, Quaoar, Varuna, Ariel, Umbriel, Tethys & Dione, about 1,250 KM across. <br /><br />Does anyone think that there may be some connection, although some of these are moons of Saturn & Uranus??<br /><br /> <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[minotast]

Maybe the gravity of Jupiter and Uranus is pulling on Saturn's moons and maybe the gravity of Neptune and Saturn is pulling on Uranus's moons. <br /><br />Perhaps something is pulling on Pluto.