Hollywood films concerning the end of the world abound, from Armageddon to the Day After Tomorrow. If a worldwide apocalypse is imminent, what may be the cause of the extinction of all life on Earth? Researchers think they may have the solution at last, and it could be a gruesome end for humanity. According to a recent study, scientists from the University of Bordeaux and the Planetary Science Institute believe that a passing star might throw Earth out of orbit. Additionally, without the Sun to keep us warm, all inhabitants, including humans, would perish from freezing to death. Fortunately, this is quite unlikely to occur.

The team estimates that there is a one in 500 probability that Earth will be thrown out of orbit by a passing star during the next five billion years.

“We find a 0.3% chance that Mars will be lost through collision or ejection and a 0.2% probability that Earth will be involved in a planetary collision or ejected,” the team wrote in their study.

Scientists have been wondering how the Earth might end for decades.

“In summary, passing stars can alter the stability of the planets and Pluto as well as the secular architecture of the giant planets over the next 5 Gyrs [5 billion years,” the authors concluded.

“Their significance on the solar system’s dynamical future largely depends on the strength of the most powerful stellar passage over this time span, which is uncertain by orders of magnitude.”