A number of astronomers are toying with the idea that Sedna, the latest and farthest solar object is actually a captured object from a passing star,
nearly 4 billion years ago. When formed, the Sun would have been in a dense cloud of other stars. Calculations put the odds that Sedna could have
been swapped had an exchange occured at around 10%.
seattlepi
there are actually two groups suggesting this. one says a close, strong force, which would also explain the sudden edge of the kuiper belt. the
other favors a distant, gentle force, which fits neatly with the lack of objects in the area, a problem not solved by the first thought.
it's one helluva exampe of 'thinking out of the box.'