{
  "id": 11461702,
  "title": "The solar system will fall apart far sooner than anyone thought, scientists say",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/the-solar-system-will-fall-apart-far-sooner-than-anyone-thought",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-02T14:50:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/02/the-solar-system-will-fall-apart-far-sooner-than-anyone-thought-scientists-say"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have discovered that the outer planets of our solar system will experience instability much sooner than previously thought, roughly one billion years after the Sun becomes a white dwarf. This significant shift in understanding was revealed by a new study conducted at California’s Institute of Technology (Caltech) using high-performance supercomputers and advanced N-body numerical simulations. The research challenges the long-held belief that the solar system's stability would last far longer than the current age of the universe. Previous estimates placed the stability of the giant planets' orbits at around a quintillion years, but the new findings suggest that the outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be thrown into chaos around the time the Sun dies, which is still billions of years away. The study authors argue that the Sun will lose its mass in violent, random ejections, known as \"stochastic kicks,\" rather than a smooth and consistent release. This new perspective on the solar system's end-of-life cycle was reported in a study titled 'Terminal Instability of the Solar System Triggered by Stochastic Solar Mass Loss,' published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.",
  "summary": "Earth will be long gone by then, but new research shows the outer planets will be thrown out too, and a billion times earlier than expected, according to astrophysics research.",
  "key_points": [
    "Outer planets of solar system face instability soon after Sun becomes white dwarf",
    "New study from Caltech challenges long-held belief of solar system's stability",
    "Stochastic solar mass loss causes chaotic orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}