"Interstellar Visitors: How Passing Stars Changed Our Solar System's Orbits"

Astronomers have found that passing stars have significantly impacted the long-term orbital evolution of Earth and other planets, leading to uncertainties in predicting past orbital behavior. These stellar encounters alter the gravitational perturbations on the giant planets in our solar system, subsequently affecting Earth's orbital trajectory and potentially influencing ancient climate anomalies. The study highlights the importance of considering passing stars in astronomical simulations to improve our understanding of Earth's orbital history and its connection to past climate variations.