Ancient Interstellar Object May Have Reshaped Solar System's Planetary Orbits

A new study suggests a massive substellar object passed through the early solar system, altering the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Researchers propose that a substellar object, potentially eight times the mass of Jupiter, passed through the solar system around 4 billion years ago.
The study's simulations suggest this rare flyby could explain the slightly tilted and non-circular orbits of the giant planets.
This hypothetical object may have come as close as 1.69 astronomical units to the Sun, traveling at 2.69 km/s with a high inclination angle of 131 degrees.
Although such an event is estimated to have a low probability of 1 in 10,000, its occurrence in an open star cluster environment is considered plausible.
The findings offer a new perspective on planetary formation, suggesting external influences may have played a role alongside internal interactions within the early solar system.