So global warming is more mother nature than man? I'm gonna faint!Or so they say. By some estimates, it could be as little as a billion years before the sun’s radiation becomes too much for life on Earth to handle.
In roughly 5 billion years, the sun will run out of energy and drastically alter the solar system. Oceans will be baked dry. Entire planets will be consumed. And long-icy worlds will finally enjoy their day in the sun.
Our star is powered by nuclear fusion, and it turns hydrogen into helium in a process that converts mass into energy. Once the fuel supply is gone, the sun will start growing dramatically. Its outer layers will expand until they engulf much of the solar system, as it becomes what astronomers call a red giant.
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And, when the sun does turn into a red giant, the Earth will also be vaporized — perhaps just a few million years after Mercury and Venus have been consumed. All the rocks and fossils and remains of the creatures that have lived here will be gobbled up by the sun’s growing orb, wiping out any lingering trace of humanity’s existence on Earth.
Here's What Happens to the Solar System When the Sun Dies
The end of planet Earth could also mean new life in distant parts of the solar system.www.discovermagazine.com
