Earth's wild ride: Our voyage through the Milky Way

• 05 December 2011 by Stephen Battersby
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(Image: NASA)

 

Our planet has faced many dangers on its epic journey around the galaxy. The evidence of our turbulent history might lie buried on the moon

FOR billions of years, Earth has been on a perilous journey through space. As our planet whirls around the sun, the whole solar system undertakes a far grander voyage, circling our island universe every 200 million years. Weaving our way through the disc of the Milky Way, we have drifted through brilliant spiral arms, braved the Stygian darkness of dense nebulae, and witnessed the spectacular death of giant stars.

Many of these marvels may well have been deadly, raining lethal radiation onto Earth's surface or hurling huge missiles into our path. Some may have wiped out swathes of life, smashed up continents or turned the planet to ice. Others may have been more benign, perhaps even sowing the seeds of life.

MORE: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228411.500-earths-wild-ride-our-voyage-through-the-milky-way.html

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
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