Ort cloud

At the time when modern man emerged from the shadows, and the Neanderthals were close to extinction, a double star system passed by the far reaches of the solar system. (Image: Michael Osadciw/University of Rochester)

A star passed through our solar system 70 thousand years ago

Artist rendering of a trans-Neptunian object. The distant sun was reduced to a bright star 5 billion kilometers away. The Dark Energy Survey (DES) has now announced the discovery of several such objects, most likely dwarf planets like Pluto. Image: NASA

Look for dark energy and find more dwarf planets beyond Neptune-Rahab