How passing stars could disturb comets in the Oort cloud

Sun

Distance in

astronomical

units (AU)

1

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Kuiper belt

Disc of icy bodies, dwarf planets and a trillion comets

10

Saturn

Pluto

Voyager 1

Will take 300 years to reach the Oort cloud, and 30,000 to pass through

100

1,000

Oort cloud

Contains trillions of comets, some of which could be knocked towards Earth by a passing star

10,000

Gliese 710

The star will cut through the cloud at a distance of 13,365 AU

100,000

Alpha Centuri

1m

Kuiper belt

Disc of icy bodies, dwarf planets and a trillion comets

Voyager 1

Will take 300 years to reach the Oort cloud, and 30,000 to pass through

Gliese 710

The star will cut through the cloud at a distance of 13,365 AU

Oort cloud

Contains trillions of comets, some of which could be knocked towards Earth by a passing star

Earth

Jupiter

Sun

Mars

Saturn

Pluto

Alpha Centuri

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1m

Distance from the Sun in astronomical units (AU)