O how little we know!

[Loup Solitaire]

In the age we live in, there is much discussion about things like Global Warming, Renewable Energy, the Impact of The Gulf Oil Spill at The BP Facility. All these things are important and we should all be concerned. Our planet is more fragile then most people would think. Whether in the case of Global Warming, where gradual accumulations of heat and CO2 could drastically impact our global weather and quality of life or the Oil Spill currently happening in the Gulf of Mexico that will damage the environment for an undetermined duration, the impact can be/is huge.

But periodically a natural event occurs that drastically alters the weather and/or quality of life. The volcano in Iceland certainly will alter the weather in the northern hemisphere, although the degree is difficult to predict.

Today, an article in "science Daily caught my attention. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0521191114.htm The title, "Ribbon at Edge of Our Solar System: Will the Sun Enter a Million-Degree Cloud of Interstellar Gas?" really caught my attention. The term "million degree cloud" raised my anxiety level many, many times the norm. Upon further reading, I thought I understood the article to say that although a particle may be at some ultra heated range, these particles would be spread so thin that the impact would be less than catastrophic.

The concept is, that clouds of matter and energy are floating in the Universe and at some time, our sun with solar system in tow can glide through it. I think I am imaginative and as such I can conceive of the scenario described with variations.

For as long as people have studied weather, people have theorized about the cause of ice ages. Suppose that a cloud of ionized particles collided with our solar system. And suppose the particles interfered with heat radiating from the sun to all the planets. Then, poof, the Earth is plunged into an ice age.

The interesting thing about the scenario described, the time frame before impact could be relatively brief. The scenario states that the sun could be engulfed as early as the next century.

I'm not rooting for disaster. But it is of interest to me, how fragile our earth may be. Despite our most optimistic dreams, this planet could become toast or an ice cube in a relative blink of the eye.