One day the sun will die

[MagentaRocks]

For some reason I wondered what would happen if the sun dies. I looked it up and it turns out that the sun is half way through its life and it will die, by getting hotter and burning itself out in effect. It will also swallow the earth. It is likely to be a billion years before life on earth is wiped out - as the sun gets hotter the water around us will boil etc but it feels really weird to think that one day there will be nothing and no life anywhere.

I think I have freaked myself out during lockdown!

Wasn’t there a terrible BBC drama about this called something like ‘hard sun’?

The planets is on iPlayer at the moment if you want further info.

Can’t be bothered to be bothered about this.

I can remember learning this at school; or maybe it was in the Reader's Digest? Along with the books like The Last Two Million Years tomes. #old

@SoleBizzz if we were to get anywhere near the level of technology where we were even considering prolonging the life of the sun we'd be able to move to a younger one.

(I mean, seriously, the only way to do that would be to give it more stuff, and where would that come from?)

I watched this morning.

I think we've got to that stage of lockdown

The existential crisis stage, I mean.

*@BasicIntentions I am not ‘bothered’ about this. I find it fascinating.

@magentarocks

I recommend a series called How the Universe Works on SKy On Demand if you have it. So fascinating about space!

Thanks @OhClover

Reported for scaremongering.

(not really)

@Judashascomeintosomemoney Your comment made me laugh 😂😂😂 was thinking the same. Happy Tuesday to all!

Ah, cheer up, TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross, give a whistle!

It could be worse. Jupiter is a failed star - if it had been successful no life would ever have existed.

If you want to see a science fiction movie about what humans could do when the sun is dying, watch The Wandering Earth
www.imdb.com/title/
“As the sun is dying out, people all around the world build giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500-year journey comes with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth fight hard for the survival of humankind.”

Not today though, right? I’ve washing to dry.

first homo sapien sapien (us) have been around for somewhere between 200,000 to possibly 300,000 the earliest pre-humans probably about a couple of million multicellular life started about 800 million years ago which dear friends is less than a billion. It may be interesting but not worrying
But after a billion years we could live on the moons of Jupiter or Saturn because they would be warm enough - so I am saving my pennies for emigrating there I really fancy having the view of Saturn's rings from my window (if they are still there)
Op may I suggest reading sciencedaily on line its really interesting or NASA website

Unless you are planning on living for around 5 billion years I really wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it

It’s the opening premise of the film Sunshine by Danny Boyle.

Well I'm writing to the Guardian! it ought not to be allowed ! What do I pay taxes for?

The human race won't last that long fortunately. The Carter Catastrophe predicts the the human race will be gone in a few hundred years. Good statistical argument from Brandon Carter.

I like thinking about it. Of course I know it won't affect me but it is something that we will never really understand which is why it is so interesting.

I laughed a lot at your OP. I was imagining Marvin the Paranoid Android Reading it, but then you topped it with this:

I do expect that we will be wiped out way before the sun starts to die from any number of things as mentioned above

Yay! That lifts the spirits.

(Also, thanks to the poster who suggested the ‘one day my prince will come’ tune. I laughed loads at that too).

For a more optimistic view. Look up at the Milky Way and imagine planets around half those stars and half of those with human colonies on them.

We could relax a bit then.

Unless there's such a thing as Galactic Warming. :)

There's a giant asteroid due at the end of the month. It's not supposed to hit us, but then three months ago, everyone was saying some virus in China was just a storm in a teacup...

Galactic Warming?!

No but seriously, Trump won't let the sun go out.