Earth may have lost the Sun’s protective shield millions of years ago
New NASA-funded research suggests that the Sun's protective heliosphere has shifted over millions of years, potentially impacting Earth's climate. The studies explore how these galactic environmental changes and ancient solar eruptions may have influenced historical temperature swings and the habitability of early Earth.
Why it matters
Understanding the long-term interaction between the solar system and the galaxy provides critical context for Earth's climate history and planetary evolution.
The Sun does far more than provide Earth with light and heat. Two recent NASA-funded studies suggest that events from the Sun's distant past may have influenced Earth's climate in unexpected ways, from helping drive ancient temperature shifts to keeping the young planet warm enough for liquid water and possibly life.
One study from NASA's SHIELD (Solar Wind with Hydrogen Ion charge Exchange and Large-Scale Dynamics) center, one of NASA's DRIVE (Diversify, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate) Science Centers, examines how the heliosphere moved through the Milky Way over time. The heliosphere is the vast protective bubble produced by the Sun that surrounds the solar system. Researchers found that changes in the galactic environment around this bubble may have affected conditions on Earth.
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