[Rockhounds] A Giant Interstellar Cloud May Have Caused Quaternary Ice Age

[Paul Heinrich]

A Giant Interstellar Cloud May Have Once 
Enveloped Earth, Potentially Causing Ice Ages.
Astronomers suggest this cold, dense cloud 
compressed our sun’s protective field between 
two and three million years ago, leaving the 
Earth exposed to cosmic material
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, June 14, 2024
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-giant-interstellar-cloud-may-have-once-enveloped-earth-potentially-causing-ice-ages-180984529/
 
The Solar System May Have Passed through 
Dense Interstellar Cloud 2 Million Years Ago, 
Altering Earth’s Climate, Boston University, June 14, 2024
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/the-solar-system-may-have-passed-through-interstellar-clouds/
 
The open access paper is:
 
Opher, M., Loeb, A. and Peek, J.E.G., 2024. 
A possible direct exposure of the Earth to the 
cold dense interstellar medium 2–3 Myr ago. 
Nature Astronomy, pp.1-8.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02279-8
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02279-8
 
Yours,
 
Paul H.