Conclusion:
- The Sun’s gravitational potential energy is significant up to 200,000 AU, beyond which external forces like galactic tides and passing stars dominate.
- The 200,000 AU cutoff is a conservative estimate that extends beyond the Sun’s Hill Sphere (~73,000 AU) and aligns with astrophysical estimates of the Sun’s gravitational sphere of influence.
- While precise statistical validation is challenging due to observational limitations, the analysis of long-period comet data and Monte Carlo simulations provide strong support for the 200,000 AU cutoff