The Death of Mercury

dominiquecruz

OK, a tad dramatic perhaps, but I was reading this article this morning which I found quite interesting; basically, it talks about the interfering pull of Jupiter's gravity and how Mercury's orbit is destined to become increasingly erratic because of it, until eventually it is ejected from our solar system. Or sent on a collision course :rolleyes:

I know we're talking billions of years here, and the Sun will probably have died already, but would the death/disappearance of Mercury have any effect on us? Obviously, if it heads this way, but say if it was spat into the Sun - would there be any terrestrial consequences? Some kind of giant solar flare?

chughes

He died in November 1991.

I was devestated.

dominiquecruz

We'll get through this together chughes. Ignoring all that above so, my actual query is, could a planet - one of the terrestrial planets, for example - get ejected from our solar system and leave us completely unscathed? I'm actually writing something at the moment, and I wanted to touch on that, but I was just wondering if it's scientifically credible, or would it more than likely wreak havoc across our minute habitat in the Milky Way. Answers on a postcard.

slade_x

dominiquecruz wrote: »

I know we're talking billions of years here, and the Sun will probably have died already, but would the death/disappearance of Mercury have any effect on us?

Lets see if our species makes it past this century first. Generally a star dying in a solar system is more of a downer than planets crossing orbits or otherwise. And given the amount of time that would be required for that extremely unlikely 1%< scenario to play out mercury and venus will almost definitely have been engulfed by the sun in its next phase by then

dominiquecruz

Thanks for that, Slade. It was meant purely hypothetically though; I'm writing a piece of fiction that's a bit out there, and I was just wondering what would happen if one of our neighbours should just one day disappear.

im invisible

It wouldnt have any noticable effect if it just dissappeared, would be different if it was the moon.
Not too sure how big an effect an impact with the sun would have, solar flares are massive anyway,

Redshift

dominiquecruz wrote: »

Thanks for that, Slade. It was meant purely hypothetically though; I'm writing a piece of fiction that's a bit out there, and I was just wondering what would happen if one of our neighbours should just one day disappear.

Here you go, play god and make mercury or anything else you fancy vanish at the click of a mouse.

Rhys Essien

There is a theory that a giant planet was ejected from a young solar system.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142102.htm

The Radiator

Oh my