Ancient Stellar Flyby Reshaped Outer Solar System's Orbits

New research indicates a close encounter with another star billions of years ago disrupted the orbits of distant solar system objects.

A stellar flyby billions of years ago may have altered the orbits of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in the outer Solar System.
The flyby hypothesis suggests a star passed within 110 astronomical units of the Sun, affecting TNOs' eccentric and inclined orbits.
Simulations show that this stellar encounter could explain the irregular, elongated orbits of some of the moons around giant planets.
Researchers posit that such stellar flybys are relatively common, influencing the structure of many solar systems in the Milky Way.
Additional evidence could be gathered with future observations from the Vera Rubin Observatory.