Earth could be thrown off its orbit and flung into another planet or even the Sun due to gravitational disturbances caused by passing stars, a new scientific study has warned.

The research, published in the journal “Icarus”, suggests that passing field stars — those appearing near the same sky region as other celestial objects — may have a much greater influence on the Solar System’s stability than previously believed.

Based on thousands of computer simulations, the study found that if a star with mass similar to our Sun were to pass within 10,000 astronomical units (AU) of our Solar System, it could significantly disrupt the Oort Cloud — the distant spherical shell of icy objects that marks the outer boundary of the Solar System, far beyond Pluto, as reported by NDTV.

"Passing stars are the most probable instability trigger during the next four billion years," the study highlighted, adding that not only are the planets in the Solar System less stable than previously thought, but Pluto is also at significant risk.

“Our simulations indicate that isolated models of the solar system can underestimate the degree of our giant planets' future secular orbital changes by over an order of magnitude. In addition, our planets and Pluto are significantly less stable than previously thought,” the study’s authors, astronomers Nathan Kaib and Sean Raymond, wrote in May.

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The study further reveals that the gravitational tug from such passing stars could increase the risk of orbital instability for Mercury by 50-80 percent. Over the next five billion years, there is also a five percent chance of chaotic gravitational interactions affecting Pluto.

“We also find an approximately 0.3 percent chance that Mars will be lost through collision or ejection and an approximately 0.2 percent probability that Earth will be involved in a planetary collision or ejected,” the researchers stated.

One scenario explored in the study suggests that if Mercury's orbit is altered, it could create a chain reaction leading Venus or Mars to collide with Earth. In other cases, Earth might crash into the Sun, or gravitational shifts could lead to Venus and Mars hurling Earth toward Jupiter, whose immense gravity could then eject Earth from the Solar System entirely.

While these possibilities remain statistically low, the findings emphasize that cosmic events far from Earth may still pose existential risks to planetary stability in the very long term.