The European Souther Observatory used Scholz's star's radial velocity using Doppler shift which is a way of detecting the speed of light spectrums in relation to the rest of space. With this method, scientist Valentin Ivanov determined that Scholz's star did, in fact, pass by our Solar System and that it is moving away from it at an extraordinary speed at about 55 miles a second. Scholz's star is considered a rogue star since it is moving through space without and gravitational hold in one location. However, some questions still remain. Why did it fly by our Solar System? What caused it to form this trajectory? Where did it originate from?
Source:
http://iopscience.iop.org/2041-8205/800/1/L17
http://www.universetoday.com/119038/a-star-passed-through-the-solar-system-just-70000-years-ago/
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31519875
http://www.space.com/28611-star-flew-through-solar-system.html
http://www.iflscience.com/space/star-passed-less-light-year-earth
I recommend a Sky and Telescope article, for more background on this star: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholz%27s_star - - - also the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholz%27s_star
ReplyDeleteAs to why it passed by - - - now that we're collecting data on many - probably most - stars in this part of the galaxy, it looks like a flyby through the Oort cloud happens every 100,000 years or so. Closer approaches happen every few million years.
On a practical level, this happens because we're not orbiting the only star in the galaxy - - - let alone universe.
As to deep philosophical/religious reasons? End Time Bible Prophecy hucksters might cobble together a best-selling explanation. I'm a Catholic: so I figure these events, and others, happen so we can develop greater admiration for the Creator's power. And, I think, attention to detail. ;)