The days of the Earth and the Solar System that we inhabit seem to be numbered. Astronomers dedicated to researching the secrets of the cosmos calculate when our massive star will transform into a supernova, which is the same as saying that the Sun is going to explode.
Our Sun is going to explodeThere seems to be no doubt about that. However, there is still a long way to go for this to happen. It is not an immediate threat, according to the calculations of a scientific team led by the renowned astronomer Cristian Giupponne.
This is not the first time we have addressed this topic in FayerWayer. Previous research on other massive stars finds that they have an expiration date, and we have even witnessed supernova explosions in galaxies far from ours.
In theory, it will also happen to our Sun. When? A study of a massive star similar to ours, which is located about 12 thousand light years away, offers a glimpse that allows scientists to calculate our end.
Our Sun still has a lot of life left
The massive star we orbit is barely halfway through its life. The Sun is a G-type star and it is estimated that it will continue to provide us with energy for a few billion more years. The study finds that the supernova explosion will occur in five billion years.
For this estimated fact, it is presumed that our star will exhaust its supply of hydrogen in its core and begin to fuse helium instead of hydrogen. This stage is known as the main sequence and will mark the beginning of a different evolutionary phase for the Sun.
Will that be the end of the Earth?
The truth is that by that stage, there will be no Earth to witness the explosion of the Sun in a supernova. Before this the star will become a red giant. This phenomenon will cause it to swallow the inner planets, which include Earth.
Eventually, after a period of several hundred million years as a red giant, the Sun will shed its outer layers and become a white dwarf. Then the cooling process will begin and then implode.