The Sun Swallows the Earth? Researchers Are Suddenly Unsure
It was previously believed that the Sun would engulf the Earth at the end of its life. New calculations suggest the Earth might escape this fate, while Mercury and Venus likely won't.
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It was previously considered a foregone conclusion that the Sun would swell to such an extent at the end of its life that it would swallow the Earth. However, new calculations suggest that the Earth might ultimately escape this fate.
In about five billion years, the Sun will have consumed its nuclear fuel and will transform into a bloated Red Giant. Mercury and Venus are likely to be consumed by it.
Earth Probably Won't Be Swallowed
Research has so far assumed that the Earth could also fall victim to this swelling process before the Sun is compressed into a White Dwarf, as stated by the ESO. However, new calculations by Belgian astronomers suggest that the Earth could escape this fate.
The research team led by Mats Esseldeurs from the Catholic University of Leuven indicates that two opposing forces act during the expansion phase. The tidal interaction causes the Earth and other planets to move closer to the Sun when it swells. This is due to the planets' gravitation, which deforms the interior of the Sun, as scinexx.de reports. Consequently, the planets lose orbital angular momentum.
Two Competing Forces
The second force competes with the first. It is triggered because the Sun ejects a large portion of its mass, reducing its gravitational pull. The orbits of the planets become correspondingly larger. Depending on which of the two forces is stronger, the Earth will either be swallowed or escape this fate.
While research previously assumed that the tidal interaction would be stronger, this is not the case according to the model of the Belgian astronomers. They suggest that tidal energy within large stars decreases less efficiently than previously thought. The model is based on advances in the study of the interiors of aging stars.
No Hope for Mercury and Venus
As a result, the Earth could respond to the Sun's mass loss and move far enough away from it. However, there is no hope for Mercury and Venus. They would still be swallowed by the Sun according to the new calculations. The corresponding study was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
If the Earth could indeed escape the Sun, it would have no significance for possible life as we know it. In about a billion years, the Sun will become significantly brighter and hotter. The oceans on Earth will then evaporate, and the atmosphere will be blown away. The Earth will likely become nothing more than a hot, dead rocky planet.
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