Explore the surprising impact that Earth’s passage through dense interstellar clouds could have on our climate, potentially triggering a global ice age. Discover the evidence that suggests these cosmic events may have occurred in the past and the potential consequences for our planet.
Unraveling the Mystery of The Cosmos
A group of investigators has now discovered a shocking cataclysm: the possibility that Earth and our entire solar system may have crossed two gigantic interstellar clouds only some million years ago. These giant clouds of gas and dust in our galaxy are believed to have dramatically changed the climate on our planet.
The first one was about 7 million years ago (published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters), and the other, was around 2 million years ago. The scientists assert that these celestial occurrences could squeeze the heliosphere, i.e. interplanetary magnetic field-filled area where in the sun holds sway and this event can result in the Earth becoming an integral part of the interstellar medium. If this air had entered, it would have drastically affected our atmosphere and could have forced an ice age.
Noctilucent Clouds – The Strange Ones
These close calls amongst systems of stars have a very interesting side effect, the formation — possibly en masse — of global noctilucent clouds. The interstellar medium could have played a key role in assisting Earth’s atmosphere from these high-altitude clouds, now believed to be a fairly common feature of the planet from its earliest times.
The researchers propose that the excess hydrogen in the upper atmosphere due to these events would have undergone conversion in the lower atmosphere to water molecules. This may in turn have lowered mesosphere ozone levels, resulting in the observed mysterious noctilucent clouds. Although it was not a way to begin with, these could have obscured up to 7% of the light from the Sunlight simply (and only) released on the Earth and escalated our world right into an extended global air conditioning period and Ice age.
Conclusion
The Boston University team’s study offers a fresh reminder of just how much dense interstellar clouds may influence our planet’s climate. The cosmic events compressed the heliosphere, allowing more cosmic rays to reach our planet; possibly the cause for a galactic potent rainout that not only triggered a global noctilucent cloud formation — which would drastically reduce sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. As a result, the earth may also have experienced global cooling and an end to its ice age. It seems that, as we probe the secrets of our galaxy further, it is more evident that the way in which our solar system interacts with the interstellar medium has a profound effect on climate and ultimately our planet’s evolution.
