What If Earth Had a Large Elliptical Orbit?

What if Earth's orbit ventured as far from the Sun as Pluto, and got as close to it as Venus?
Would the Sun burn the planet to a crisp at the closest encounter? How cold would it get at the farthest point away from our star? Would humans be able to survive such extreme changes in temperature? And if we could, what are the chances that Earth would follow this orbit safely through space without crashing into another planet?

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"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere." — Carl Sagan

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Produced by Underknown in Toronto, What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure — grounded in scientific theory — through time, space and chance, as we ask what if some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence were different.

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