Nemesis', is the ominous name scientists came up with when they began speculating about the sinister space body in 1984. They couldn't have picked a better name: if Nemesis really exists, it should be one of the worst enemies of life on earth. Our solar system is what Nemesis calls `home'. And the bad part is: home is where Nemesis is heading.
What Nemesis is? It's nothing less than our Sun's twin brother. Yes, that's right: a second Sun! In the cosmos, many stars come in pairs. And according to the Nemesis theory, our `star' -- the Sun -- is no exception.
But wait -- why then do we see only one Sun? Well, for one thing, Nemesis is REALLY far away at the moment. Nemesis orbits the Sun in a huge ellipse, with its furthest point a distance of three light years away. But once every 25 to 30 million years, Nemesis closes in on the Sun. It slams into the outer regions of our solar system: a place called the Oort Cloud, at a distance of half a light year away from the Sun.is this reaL????
2007-04-14
14:47:32
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14 answers
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asked by
Anonymous
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Astronomy & Space