The solar system collided with a massive galactic structure, resulting in significant changes to our planet (photo).

Astronomers have discovered that approximately 14 million years ago, the Solar System passed through the Orion Nebula, one of the components of a massive structure known as the Radcliffe Wave. This journey through a particularly dense region of space, where new stars are formed, caused the heliosphere, the protective shell of the Solar System, to contract, resulting in an increase in interstellar dust. Scientists believe this dust has affected the climate of our planet. The study has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, reports Phys.

The Orion Nebula is a dense cluster of interstellar matter located in the constellation of Orion, where new stars are formed. It spans several hundred light years and is situated about 1600 light years away from us.

The Orion Nebula is part of the largest known gas structure in the Milky Way, which contains various star-forming regions, referred to as the Radcliffe Wave. This structure extends approximately 9000 light years. Its nearest edge is 400 light years away from us, while its farthest edge is about 5000 light years away.

The Solar System is in constant motion as it orbits the center of our galaxy. During this journey, it passes through various galactic structures.

Using the Gaia space telescope, scientists have determined that the Solar System encountered a region of higher gas density about 14 million years ago within the Orion Nebula. As a result of this encounter, significantly more interstellar dust entered the Solar System than usual, since it is typically held back by the heliosphere, which serves as a boundary between the Sun's influence and the rest of the galaxy.

Researchers believe that this dust infiltrated Earth's atmosphere, and traces of this infiltration can be found in the planet's depths in the form of radioactive chemical elements created by supernova explosions. They point out that currently, the necessary technologies to confirm this are lacking, but such technologies may emerge in the future.

The authors of the study state that the collision of the Solar System with the Orion Nebula occurred during a period when Earth's climate began to shift towards colder conditions. They believe that the influx of interstellar dust significantly contributed to this climatic change, as it may have altered the composition of the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse effects.

Now, scientists intend to investigate other structures that the Solar System has traversed and is currently passing through to determine what impact these events may have had, and possibly continue to have, on our planet.