All articles tagged with #gravitational influence
Recent research suggests that Mars influences Earth's climate through its gravitational pull, affecting climate cycles, ice ages, and seasonal variations, highlighting a more interconnected planetary relationship than previously understood.
New research suggests that Mars' gravitational pull on Earth, occurring every 2.4 million years, influences deep-sea currents, leading to periods of stronger or weaker currents known as "giant whirlpools." This gravitational interaction, called a resonance, changes Earth's climate over millions of years, potentially affecting ocean circulation. While not linked to human-driven global warming, the findings hint at a possible mechanism to maintain deep ocean currents in the event of global warming-induced collapse, offering insights into the complex interplay between planetary dynamics and Earth's climate.
Astronomers have captured the first-ever photograph of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way using the Event Horizon Telescope. The black hole's shadow is created by the bending of space around it, causing light to be distorted and redirected. Despite their popular depiction, black holes are harmless as long as one does not approach them. The gravitational influence of the supermassive black hole on our Solar System is not threatening and is not even significant for our orbit around the Galactic Center. However, in about four billion years, the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda Galaxy, potentially causing the supermassive black holes at their centers to merge.
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has captured a stunning image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1532 and its smaller companion, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1531, engaged in a gravitational tug of war. This image showcases the process of galactic growth and evolution as larger galaxies absorb and merge with smaller ones. The DECam's wide-field imaging capabilities provide detailed views of these interactions, revealing the distortions in the spiral arms and the bridges of stellar matter between the galaxies. This cosmic dance of gravitational influence triggers bursts of star formation and offers insights into the future merger of the Milky Way with the Andromeda Galaxy.
The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has captured an image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1532 engaged in a lopsided tug of war with its smaller neighbor, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1531. This interaction showcases the mutual gravitational influences of a massive- and dwarf-galaxy merger, providing a glimpse into the early stages of galactic growth. The image reveals distorted spiral arms, plumes of gas and dust, and bursts of star formation triggered by the gravitational forces between the two galaxies. DECam's wide-field imaging capabilities and sensitivity make it a valuable tool for studying galactic interactions and tracing the influence of dark matter on galaxies.
Scientists propose that an unknown, giant-like planet could be hiding within the Oort cloud, the outermost limit of the Sun's gravitational influence in the Milky Way. This theoretical planet would orbit the Solar System within the cloud, and simulations suggest that there is a chance it could have been captured by the Sun's gravitational pull after the formation of the Solar System. The Oort cloud is a cloud-like structure composed of icy debris that replenishes the Solar System with long-period comets. The estimated fraction of ejected planets trapped in the Oort cloud ranges from 1 to 10%, depending on the initial planetary mass distribution during the system's creation.