pchapin/710

A stellar encounter simulator

710

This project is about analyzing encounters between the solar system and objects coming from outside the solar system. Monte Carlo methods are used to evaluate, specifically, the risk to Earth of collisions with extrasolar objects.

The name of this project comes from Gliese 710, a star that will pass closely to the sun in 1.4 million years. When that occurs Gliese 710 may disrupt the Oort cloud surrounding the sun and cause cometary objects to enter the inner solar system. However, it is also possible that the sun will pass through an Oort cloud (presumably) surrounding Gliese 710. The purpose of this project is to explore the implications of that second kind of encounter. Will the sun capture any extrasolar comets currently orbiting Gliese 710? What is the likelihood that any of those objects will eventually collide with the Earth? This project is about conducting numerical experiments to address these questions, not just for Gliese 710 but for any similar kind of encounter.

Peter Chapin
[email protected]