Our Sun will unfortunately not last as it is forever. Click on this article to read more about what will happen to our Sun!
Introduction
As with every star, our Sun’s fate is unfortunately inevitable. While it will, luckily, happen millions of years after our lifetimes, scientists have figured out and hypothesized how our Sun will likely end up.
Main Sequence Phase
Currently, the Sun is in hydrostatic equilibrium, meaning that its size is conserved by the outward force of hydrogen fusion counteracting the inward force of gravity. The Sun being in hydrostatic equilibrium means that it is in its ‘main sequence’ phase. The Sun will remain in this phase for the next couple billion years, until all of the hydrogen fuel is exhausted.
Red Giant Phase
After all of the Sun’s hydrogen reserves have been used, the Sun’s overall structure and properties will change drastically. While its core will increase in temperature and density, the Sun’s outer layers would expand and engulf Mercury and Venus. Unfortunately, the Sun’s growth will also render Earth uninhabitable from all life.
Death of a Star
As all of the Sun's fusion capability begins to die off, the star will start to release its outer layers, eventually forming an expansive planetary nebula made up of gas and dust. The Sun’s core will implode into a small, but extremely dense and bright, white dwarf. This future white dwarf would slowly emit the remnant energy it created as a main sequence star over millions of years.
Black Dwarf
Over time, even the energy emitted by the white dwarf will diminish and fade away, leading the Sun’s core to be in its final, permanent phase of a black dwarf. A black dwarf has the same properties as a white dwarf (Extremely small and dense), however it is incapable of emitting any sort of energy or light.
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