Cosmic cloud exposed Earth to interstellar space 3 million years ago
Jun 19, 2024
Illustration of the protective bubble around the sun (yellow dot) and Earth (blue dot)
Harvard Radcliffe Institute
Between 2 million and 3 million years ago, the solar system encountered turbulence on a galactic scale, colliding with a dense interstellar cloud that may have altered both the climate and evolution on Earth.
Researchers have only recently been able to map the path of the sun through our galaxy, particularly in relation to the relatively dense hydrogen clouds that also journey through the interstellar medium, the vast space between star systems.
Now, a team led by Merav Opher at Boston University…
