Abstract
It has been suggested1,2 that the observed periodic extinction of species at intervals of 26 Myr (ref. 3) may be catalysed by a hypothetical stellar companion of the Sun, Nemesis, with an orbital period of 26 Myr. The passage of a stellar companion through the inner comet cloud4 will fill the loss cone of these comets and cause a comet shower to enter the planetary system. It has been estimated that about 20–30 comets will hit the Earth during a shower, which lasts less than a million yr. Such Earth impacts would produce considerable environmental stress and may lead to widespread extinction of species4. I now investigate the effect of Nemesis on the comets in the inner comet cloud. This is used to determine the minimum required mass of Nemesis and its minimum required perihelion distance. The effect of passing stars on the stability of the orbit of Nemesis is investigated, and the probability of its having passed within the planetary system estimated.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Davis, M., Hut, P. & Muller, R. A. Nature 308, 715–717 (1984).
Whitmire, D. P. & Jackson, A. A. Nature 308, 713–715 (1984).
Raup, D. M. & Sepkoski, J. J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 801–806 (1984).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 86, 1730–1740 (1981).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 88, 1269–1283 (1983).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 88, 1857–1867 (1983).
Napier, W. M. & Staniucha, M. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 198, 723–735 (1982).
Bailey, M. E. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 204, 603–633 (1983).
Hills, J. G. Nature 225, 840–842 (1970).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 87, 906–910 (1982).
Hills, J. G. & Sandford, M. T. II Astr. J. 88, 1519–1521 (1983).
Hills, J. G. & Sandford, M. T. II Astr. J. 88, 1522–1530 (1983).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hills, J. Dynamical constraints on the mass and perihelion distance of Nemesis and the stability of its orbit. Nature 311, 636–638 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311636a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/311636a0
This article is cited by
-
Constraints on the location of a putative distant massive body in the Solar System from recent planetary data
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (2012)
-
The fundamental role of giant comets in earth history
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (1992)
-
The Oort cloud
Nature (1990)
-
Comet showers as a cause of mass extinctions
Nature (1987)
-
Planet X ? The current status
Celestial Mechanics (1987)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
