We are told it’s a wild new theory: from “a team of Harvard astronomers: ”
… the Sun used to have a companion star, making our solar system a binary one during its ancient history.
The astronomers say the theory could explain the formation of the Oort cloud, a theoretical cloud of dust and smaller objects in the distant regions of our solar system that many believe was created out of the left overs from the early solar system.
In a new preprint submitted last month to the preprint archive arXiv, the team suggests that the Sun used to have a long lost binary star companion. Such a system could explain how some objects were scattered to the far reaches of the solar system, sometimes even making it to neighboring systems and vice versa.
Victor Tangermann, “Harvard Astronomers Propose That Our Star System Used to Be Binary” at Futurism
This story originated at Harvard-Smithsonian Center via Phys.org:
If the Oort cloud was indeed captured with the help of an early stellar companion, the implications for our understanding of the solar system’s formation would be significant. “Binary systems are far more efficient at capturing objects than are single stars,” said [Avi] Loeb. “If the Oort cloud formed as observed, it would imply that the sun did in fact have a companion of similar mass that was lost before the sun left its birth cluster.”
More than just redefining the formation of our solar system, evidence of a captured Oort cloud could answer questions about the origins of life on Earth. “Objects in the outer Oort Cloud may have played important roles in Earth’s history, such as possibly delivering water to Earth and causing the extinction of the dinosaurs,” said Siraj. “Understanding their origins is important.”
Amy Oliver, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, “The sun may have started its life with a binary companion” at Phys.org
Paper. (open access)
But wait! Who’s claiming this? The second author of this paper is Abraham (Avi) Loeb. That rings a bell. Wasn’t he the one who suggested that the obvious space junk Oumuamua was an extraterrestrial light sail?
Look, why does the name “Harvard” put all doubts about credibility to rest? Especially in these times?
Yes, Oumuamua:
Tales of Oumuamua: Why are we still talking about the Oumuamua alien sighting panic? Oumuamua alien sighting panic?
What? Oumuamua Was Just A Comet? After All The ET Hype?
Astronomer: We’re too dumb to think space object Oumuamua was an extraterrestrial lightsail.Hmmm. In the real world, when you are an only child so far as you know, it is hard to compare yourself to your siblings. Few readily accept criticism for failure to measure up to the standards of imaginary beings.
Conventional Non-ET Explanations For Oumuamua
Astronomers: Solar System Object In Transit, Oumuamua, Might Be A “Light Sail Of Extra-Terrestrial Origin”
Why Some Scientists Saw Asteroid Oumuamua As ET
Why can top scientists get away with extraordinary claims?
Did Interstellar Object Oumuamua Normalize Space Aliens As Science In 2018?
and
Astronomers: Solar system object in transit, Oumuamua, might be a “light sail of extra-terrestrial origin”