‘When space attacked Earth’: It happened 14 million years ago and we are only now finding out
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Galactic Voyage
Our solar system’s path through the Milky Way may have stirred Earth’s ancient climate, passing dense star clouds near Orion, according to astrophysicist Efrem Maconi (Astronomy & Astrophysics).
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Radcliffe Wave
A giant, snaking structure of star clusters — the Radcliffe Wave — stretches 9,000 light-years and may have showered Earth with dust during our 14-million-year-old cosmic brush.
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Dust Surge
Scientists propose Earth may have been bombarded with interstellar dust during a million-year stay near dense star nurseries, possibly cooling the planet as Antarctica’s ice grew.
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Orion Encounter
Gaia data shows our solar system swung within 65 light-years of Orion’s dusty star clusters NGC 1980 and NGC 1981 — a close cosmic dance that might have left Earth chilling effects.
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Ancient Cooling
Earth’s Middle Miocene climate shift from warmth to chill aligns with this galactic flyby, hinting at a space-weather event that could rival volcanoes and shifting continents in power.
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Iron Clues
Hunting for rare iron-60 isotopes—left by ancient supernovas—might confirm the dust deluge theory, but tracking 14-million-year-old signals is a daunting task, experts say.
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Moon Archives
Unlike Earth’s recycled crust, moon craters—especially shadowed poles—may hold untouched records of ancient interstellar dust, offering future missions a cosmic climate archive.
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Cosmic Climate
Curtin University’s Chris Kirkland agrees galactic forces shaped Earth’s geology, but remains cautious about cosmic dust affecting climate without stronger evidence.
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Hidden Evidence
Astronomers like Teddy Kareta call the dust-climate link “exciting,” yet stress that detecting such ancient influences needs cutting-edge tech and cross-disciplinary breakthroughs.
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