2023-04-25 12:37:53
In 600 million years, the Sun will become a white dwarf with no planets. This will be the end of the Solar System as we know it.
No one knows when or how the end of the solar system will come. Not even with the support of the state-of-the-art technology of the James Webb Space Telescope—the finest ever developed in the history of science—scientists have ventured to speak regarding it. In fact, astronomers know that it is risky to propose theories regarding what will happen when that day comes.
IFL Science exemplifies it clearly: «It is not as if we know what will happen at 10:04 p.m. November 12 of the year 88,000,001,955.” However, with statistical data taken from other solar systems, possible scenarios can be suggested. The first thing we need to do, astronomers say, is look at the evolutionary history of our own Sun. Here’s what we know.
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A slow but irremediable process
At the moment, our Sun is a yellow dwarf star. After 4.5 billion years of evolution, it is preserved as a gigantic ball of hydrogen and helium, which shines incessantly in the heart of the Solar System. “Without the energy of the Sun”, Explain NASA, “Life as we know it might not exist on our home planet.”
Although from Earth’s point of view it seems that the Sun is always the same, the reality is that it is a very dynamic star. So much so, that from time to time it hits us with powerful geomagnetic storms. If it were not for the Earth’s magnetic field, the natural shell that protects our planet, these ‘lashes’ of energy would end life as we know it currently.
Nowadays, the sun is halfway through its life. However, in regarding 5 billion years, it will have become much redder and hotter. Although the process will be slow and gradual, the Earth and the other planets of the Solar System will be affected radically with the changes of its central star.
Also read: Why is the Universe expanding?
What will the end of the Solar System be like?
The stars are nearing the end of their lives as they consume the energy that is inside them. The same will happen with the Sun: as the hydrogen in the core runs out, so will will lose the stability it enjoys today. This will cause its center to contract, causing its outer layer to expand.
By then, the star will acquire dimensions that consume Mercury and Venus. Therefore, it will be too close to Earth. In our case, it is likely that these consequences will be appreciated on the planet:
- With such a rise in the temperatures of the Sun, andThe carbon process will slow down.
- Many plants will be affecteduntil the planet is devoid of them.
- The food chain will collapse.
While the first planets in the Solar System will be consumed by the Sun, it is likely that the others are pushed out by the monstrous amounts of energy the star will be emitting.
Over time, the solar system will become a planetary nebula. When this happens, the Sun will already have become a white dwarf. And it will be alone for the first time in tens of millions of years: with no planets orbiting it. Humanity is unlikely to appreciate these consequences, as it is estimated that manifest within 600 million years.
More regarding the cosmos:
What do we know regarding Alcyoneus, the largest galaxy ever found
Ceres, a dwarf planet, will eclipse the appearance of a colossal galaxy in the celestial vault
Why are the planets round?
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