AI Image
Sun’s hidden twin is hurling killer comets at Earth — and may have wiped out dinosaurs: expert
New York Post • • science
Key Points:
- UC Berkeley physicist Richard Muller proposes the existence of a hidden red dwarf star, nicknamed "Nemesis," orbiting the sun and periodically sending comet showers toward Earth every 26 million years.
- Nemesis is theorized to orbit in tandem with the sun near the solar system's plane, making it difficult to detect due to its dimness and position among many stars.
- The comet showers triggered by Nemesis passing through the Oort Cloud could explain periodic mass extinctions, including the event 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs.
- While some studies, including a 2014 NASA WISE telescope analysis, found no evidence of Nemesis, Muller argues that the star's hidden location means it could have eluded detection so far.
- The next predicted comet barrage from Nemesis is estimated to occur in about 12 million years, according to Muller's calculations.
