Editing Solar System (section)

== Celestial neighborhood ==
{{Main|List of nearest stars|List of nearest exoplanets|List of nearby stellar associations and moving groups}}
[[File:The Local Interstellar Cloud and neighboring G-cloud complex.svg|thumb|Diagram of the [[Local Interstellar Cloud]], the [[G-Cloud]] and surrounding stars. As of 2022, the exact position of the Solar System within the interstellar clouds remains an unresolved question in astronomy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Swaczyna |first1=Paweł |last2=Schwadron |first2=Nathan A. |last3=Möbius |first3=Eberhard |last4=Bzowski |first4=Maciej |last5=Frisch |first5=Priscilla C. |last6=Linsky |first6=Jeffrey L. |last7=McComas |first7=David J. |last8=Rahmanifard |first8=Fatemeh |last9=Redfield |first9=Seth |last10=Winslow |first10=Réka M. |last11=Wood |first11=Brian E. |last12=Zank |first12=Gary P. |date=1 October 2022 |title=Mixing Interstellar Clouds Surrounding the Sun |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal Letters]] |volume=937 |issue=2 |pages=L32:1–2 |arxiv=2209.09927 |bibcode=2022ApJ...937L..32S |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/ac9120 |issn=2041-8205 |doi-access=free}}</ref>]]

Within 10&nbsp;light-years of the Sun there are relatively few stars, the closest being the triple star system [[Alpha Centauri]], which is about 4.4&nbsp;light-years away and may be in the Local Bubble's [[G-Cloud]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Linsky |first1=Jeffrey L. |last2=Redfield |first2=Seth |last3=Tilipman |first3=Dennis |date=November 2019 |title=The Interface between the Outer Heliosphere and the Inner Local ISM: Morphology of the Local Interstellar Cloud, Its Hydrogen Hole, Strömgren Shells, and 60Fe Accretion |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]] |volume=886 |issue=1 |page=19 |arxiv=1910.01243 |bibcode=2019ApJ...886...41L |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ab498a |s2cid=203642080 |id=41 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Alpha Centauri A and B are a closely tied pair of [[Solar analog|Sun-like stars]], whereas the closest star to the Sun, the small [[red dwarf]] [[Proxima Centauri]], orbits the pair at a distance of 0.2&nbsp;light-years. In 2016, a potentially habitable [[exoplanet]] was found to be orbiting Proxima Centauri, called [[Proxima Centauri b]], the closest confirmed exoplanet to the Sun.<ref name="proxima b discovery paper">{{Cite journal |last1=Anglada-Escudé |first1=Guillem |last2=Amado |first2=Pedro J. |last3=Barnes |first3=John |last4=Berdiñas |first4=Zaira M. |last5=Butler |first5=R. Paul |last6=Coleman |first6=Gavin A. L. |last7=de la Cueva |first7=Ignacio |last8=Dreizler |first8=Stefan |last9=Endl |first9=Michael |last10=Giesers |first10=Benjamin |last11=Jeffers |first11=Sandra V. |last12=Jenkins |first12=James S. |last13=Jones |first13=Hugh R. A. |last14=Kiraga |first14=Marcin |last15=Kürster |first15=Martin |display-authors=3 |year=2016 |title=A terrestrial planet candidate in a temperate orbit around Proxima Centauri |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature19106 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=536 |issue=7617 |pages=437–440 |arxiv=1609.03449 |bibcode=2016Natur.536..437A |doi=10.1038/nature19106 |pmid=27558064 |s2cid=4451513 |last16=López-González |first16=María J. |last17=Marvin |first17=Christopher J. |last18=Morales |first18=Nicolás |last19=Morin |first19=Julien |last20=Nelson |first20=Richard P. |last21=Ortiz |first21=José L. |last22=Ofir |first22=Aviv |last23=Paardekooper |first23=Sijme-Jan |last24=Reiners |first24=Ansgar |last25=Rodríguez |first25=Eloy |last26=Rodríguez-López |first26=Cristina |last27=Sarmiento |first27=Luis F. |last28=Strachan |first28=John P. |last29=Tsapras |first29=Yiannis |last30=Tuomi |first30=Mikko |first31=Mathias |last31=Zechmeister}}</ref>

The Solar System is surrounded by the [[Local Interstellar Cloud]], although it is not clear if it is embedded in the Local Interstellar Cloud or if it lies just outside the cloud's edge.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Linsky |first1=Jeffrey L. |last2=Redfield |first2=Seth |last3=Tilipman |first3=Dennis |date=20 November 2019 |title=The Interface between the Outer Heliosphere and the Inner Local ISM: Morphology of the Local Interstellar Cloud, Its Hydrogen Hole, Strömgren Shells, and 60 Fe Accretion* |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]] |volume=886 |issue=1 |page=41 |arxiv=1910.01243 |bibcode=2019ApJ...886...41L |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ab498a |issn=0004-637X |s2cid=203642080 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Multiple other [[interstellar cloud]]s exist in the region within 300&nbsp;light-years of the Sun, known as the [[Local Bubble]].<ref name=":1" /> The latter feature is an hourglass-shaped cavity or [[superbubble]] in the interstellar medium roughly 300&nbsp;light-years across. The bubble is suffused with high-temperature plasma, suggesting that it may be the product of several recent supernovae.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zucker |first1=Catherine |last2=Goodman |first2=Alyssa A. |author-link2=Alyssa A. Goodman |last3=Alves |first3=João |last4=Bialy |first4=Shmuel |last5=Foley |first5=Michael |last6=Speagle |first6=Joshua S. |last7=Großschedl |first7=Josefa |last8=Finkbeiner |first8=Douglas P. |last9=Burkert |first9=Andreas |last10=Khimey |first10=Diana |last11=Swiggum |first11=Cameren |display-authors=3 |date=January 2022 |title=Star formation near the Sun is driven by expansion of the Local Bubble |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04286-5 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |language=en |volume=601 |issue=7893 |pages=334–337 |arxiv=2201.05124 |bibcode=2022Natur.601..334Z |doi=10.1038/s41586-021-04286-5 |issn=1476-4687 |pmid=35022612 |s2cid=245906333}}</ref>

The Local Bubble is a small superbubble compared to the neighboring wider [[Radcliffe Wave]] and ''Split'' linear structures (formerly [[Gould Belt]]), each of which are some thousands of light-years in length.<ref name="Alves Zucker Goodman Speagle 2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Alves |first1=João |last2=Zucker |first2=Catherine |last3=Goodman |first3=Alyssa A. |last4=Speagle |first4=Joshua S. |last5=Meingast |first5=Stefan |last6=Robitaille |first6=Thomas |last7=Finkbeiner |first7=Douglas P. |last8=Schlafly |first8=Edward F. |last9=Green |first9=Gregory M. |date=23 January 2020 |title=A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=578 |issue=7794 |pages=237–239 |arxiv=2001.08748v1 |bibcode=2020Natur.578..237A |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z |pmid=31910431 |s2cid=210086520}}</ref> All these structures are part of the [[Orion Arm]], which contains most of the stars in the Milky Way that are visible to the unaided eye.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McKee |first1=Christopher F. |last2=Parravano |first2=Antonio |last3=Hollenbach |first3=David J. |date=November 2015 |title=Stars, Gas, and Dark Matter in the Solar Neighborhood |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]] |volume=814 |issue=1 |pages=24 |arxiv=1509.05334 |bibcode=2015ApJ...814...13M |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/814/1/13 |s2cid=54224451 |id=13}}</ref>

Groups of stars form together in [[star cluster]]s, before dissolving into co-moving associations. A prominent grouping that is visible to the naked eye is the [[Ursa Major moving group]], which is around 80 light-years away within the Local Bubble. The nearest star cluster is [[Hyades (star cluster)|Hyades]], which lies at the edge of the Local Bubble. The closest star-forming regions are the [[Corona Australis Molecular Cloud]], the [[Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex]] and the [[Taurus molecular cloud]]; the latter lies just beyond the Local Bubble and is part of the Radcliffe wave.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Alves |first1=João |last2=Zucker |first2=Catherine |last3=Goodman |first3=Alyssa A. |author-link3=Alyssa A. Goodman |last4=Speagle |first4=Joshua S. |last5=Meingast |first5=Stefan |last6=Robitaille |first6=Thomas |last7=Finkbeiner |first7=Douglas P. |last8=Schlafly |first8=Edward F. |last9=Green |first9=Gregory M. |display-authors=3 |year=2020 |title=A Galactic-scale gas wave in the solar neighborhood |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=578 |issue=7794 |pages=237–239 |arxiv=2001.08748 |bibcode=2020Natur.578..237A |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z |pmid=31910431 |s2cid=210086520}}</ref>

Stellar flybys that pass within {{Convert|0.25|pc|ly|1|abbr=off|disp=out}} of the Sun occur roughly once every 100,000&nbsp;years. The [[List of nearest stars#Distant future and past encounters|closest well-measured approach]] was [[Scholz's Star]], which approached to ~{{val|50,000|fmt=commas|u=AU}} of the Sun some ~70&nbsp;thousands years ago, likely passing through the outer Oort cloud.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mamajek |first1=Eric E. |last2=Barenfeld |first2=Scott A. |last3=Ivanov |first3=Valentin D. |last4=Kniazev |first4=Alexei Y. |last5=Väisänen |first5=Petri |last6=Beletsky |first6=Yuri |last7=Boffin |first7=Henri M. J. |date=February 2015 |title=The Closest Known Flyby of a Star to the Solar System |journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal Letters]] |volume=800 |issue=1 |page=4 |arxiv=1502.04655 |bibcode=2015ApJ...800L..17M |doi=10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L17 |s2cid=40618530 |id=L17}}</ref> There is a 1% chance every billion years that a star will pass within {{val|100|u=AU}} of the Sun, potentially disrupting the Solar System.<ref name="Raymond_et_al_2024">{{cite journal |last1=Raymond |first1=Sean N. |last2=Kaib |first2=Nathan A. |last3=Selsis |first3=Franck |last4=Bouy |first4=Herve |display-authors=1 |date=January 2024 |title=Future trajectories of the Solar System: dynamical simulations of stellar encounters within 100 au |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] |volume=527 |issue=3 |pages=6126–6138 |arxiv=2311.12171 |bibcode=2024MNRAS.527.6126R |doi=10.1093/mnras/stad3604|doi-access=free }}</ref>