Oort Cloud Dynamics: Speculations on Origins in a Sci-Fi Novel

[Jack Dash]

In writing a science fiction novel, I set it against a backdrop of the Oort cloud and, as part of the plot, I needed to speculate on its origins. Recognising my limitations, I would like some expert feedback on my ideas.

The first idea I use in my book is that Centaury A & B both developed separately, much like our solar system, until gravity pulled them into form a binary system. In the process, the Kuiper belts of both star’s were ejected to form the Oort cloud and this was also the origin of the late bombardment in our solar system.

My second idea is that most of the planets around Centaury A & B were consumed by the stars or ejected into space and our sun captured Neptune, Uranus and Venus. Venus then going on to displace a small planet that collided with Earth to form the moon. I figured this might also explain the unusual composition of the ice giants as they could have picked up considerable water from the comets on their journey. It could also explain the large axial tilt of Uranus and the retrograde orbit of Venus.

My third idea is that the Oort cloud now envelops the Solar system and the Centaury system in an hour-glass shaped cloud that passes through what I call the Waist (as in the waist of an hourglass) centred at the gravitational midpoint, 1.5LY from the sun. I envision slow moving comets becoming trapped at the Waist and accreting to form larger objects before being knocked out by faster moving comets or perturbations from Proxima. In effect, the Waist forms a cosmic cannon that periodically ejects large icy objects that create many of the long period comets and the icy moons of the solar system.

Do my speculations hold water? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Chronos]

The Oort cloud is a remnant of the original gas cloud that formed the solar system.

 

[Jack Dash]

Thanks Chronos, I am aware of this but, as far as I know, no one has come up with a mechanism for this to have happened. What I am suggesting is a simpler way for it to have formed, it's the remnants of the Centaury Kuiper belts.

There are various estimates of the radius of the cloud, many exceeding 1.5LY. What no one seems to consider is that the gravitational mid point between the sun and Alpha centaury is 1.5LY from our sun. This means that any object in the Oort cloud that is orbiting further out than this will be either have been captured by Alpha Centaury or it must be orbiting both stars in a figure of eight orbit and the Oort cloud would have an hourglass shape with a lobe around each star and the waist of the hourglass at the gravitational mid point. Which implies that the cloud could just as easily have originated in the Centaury system as in ours.

I am not a cosmologist by any means, but i do think there is something in this idea. Can anyone help or point me to where I could get help?

 

[Vanadium 50]

This is no longer help with a novel, but has become a post on a speculative theory.

Thread closed.

 

[sardar]

I find your speculations on the origins of the Oort cloud in your sci-fi novel to be quite interesting and thought-provoking. While I cannot say for certain whether your ideas hold water or not, I can provide some feedback based on current scientific understanding and theories.

Your first idea of two separate stars forming a binary system and ejecting their Kuiper belts to form the Oort cloud is not completely implausible. Binary star systems are common in our galaxy and can certainly have effects on surrounding objects. However, it is currently believed that the Oort cloud was formed by the gravitational influence of passing stars and not by the ejection of a Kuiper belt from a binary system. This is because the Oort cloud is believed to be made up of objects from different parts of the solar system, not just the Kuiper belt.

Your second idea of planets being consumed or ejected by the stars is also possible, but it is more likely that the planets would have formed in the protoplanetary disk around the stars and then been affected by their gravitational pull. Additionally, the idea of Venus displacing a small planet to form the moon is not supported by current theories of the moon's formation. It is believed that the moon was formed by a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized object, not by a smaller planet being displaced.

Your third idea of the Oort cloud enveloping both the Solar system and the Centaury system is an interesting concept, but it is not currently supported by any evidence. The Oort cloud is believed to be a spherical cloud surrounding the entire Solar system, not just a portion of it. Additionally, the idea of a "cosmic cannon" at the gravitational midpoint is not supported by any known physics or theories.

Overall, while your ideas may add an interesting twist to your sci-fi novel, they do not align with current scientific understanding and theories of the Oort cloud's origins. However, as a scientist, I encourage you to continue exploring and speculating on these ideas, as that is often how new scientific discoveries are made.