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> Most orbits remain stable but very deeply shifted from where they were (earth's aphelion ends up far out where Jupiter was, with its perihelion much closer th

> Most orbits remain stable but very deeply shifted from where they were (earth's aphelion ends up far out where Jupiter was, with its perihelion much closer than before...) That's incredibly terrifying. Although from what I see in the book description, it focuses more on the drama aspect. I wouldn't mind someone exploring the technical aspect in more detail, e.g. what would be possible to do to prepare for such an event (if anything) and how likely it would lead to the extinction of civilization.

saalweachter 9y ago
Past a certain level of extreme disaster planning, every disaster plan converges on the same point: build (what amounts to) a space station. Whether your station is actually in space or five miles underground, you ultimately need to plan a fully self-contained, self-sufficient environment that will support human life.
mirimir 9y ago
Reminiscent of "A Pail of Air" by Fritz Leiber (1951). The image of bringing in a pail of oxygen, to melt/boil by the fire, is wild.
Merad 9y ago
The scenario described is almost certainly the end of human civilization and the majority of life on earth. Assuming I’ve done the math right, an aphelion of ~5 AU and perihelion of ~0.9 AU gives a highly eccentric (e = 0.69) orbit taking 5 years. I’m just guessing here, but I imagine each orbit would start with 6-8 months of relatively normal temperatures as we made or closest pass by the sun, a year or so worth of dropping temperatures, 2.5 years of deep, deep freeze, and a year of slow warming as we approach the sun again. Each orbit is probably going is probably going to see the planet spending at least 3 years competely outside the habitable zone. I’d expect virtually all life as we know it on the surface to die in the first orbit. With enough warning we might be able to dig some deep facilities that could harness geothermal energy to generate power and avoid freezing. They might be able to use hydroponics or something to sustain themselves for a long time, but to what end?
- meric 9y ago
  There’s life beneath deep oceans that thrive on geothermal - I think it’s possible some life can survive.

saalweachter 9y ago

Past a certain level of extreme disaster planning, every disaster plan converges on the same point: build (what amounts to) a space station. Whether your station is actually in space or five miles underground, you ultimately need to plan a fully self-contained, self-sufficient environment that will support human life.

mirimir 9y ago

Reminiscent of "A Pail of Air" by Fritz Leiber (1951). The image of bringing in a pail of oxygen, to melt/boil by the fire, is wild.

Merad 9y ago

The scenario described is almost certainly the end of human civilization and the majority of life on earth. Assuming I’ve done the math right, an aphelion of ~5 AU and perihelion of ~0.9 AU gives a highly eccentric (e = 0.69) orbit taking 5 years. I’m just guessing here, but I imagine each orbit would start with 6-8 months of relatively normal temperatures as we made or closest pass by the sun, a year or so worth of dropping temperatures, 2.5 years of deep, deep freeze, and a year of slow warming as we approach the sun again. Each orbit is probably going is probably going to see the planet spending at least 3 years competely outside the habitable zone. I’d expect virtually all life as we know it on the surface to die in the first orbit. With enough warning we might be able to dig some deep facilities that could harness geothermal energy to generate power and avoid freezing. They might be able to use hydroponics or something to sustain themselves for a long time, but to what end?

meric 9y ago
There’s life beneath deep oceans that thrive on geothermal - I think it’s possible some life can survive.