2024-03-16 20:48:09
Life on our planet may be under threat both due to the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence and due to a possible nuclear war.
The Daily Mail reports this.
However, humanity is quite capable of preventing both of these scenarios. What is beyond our capabilities is a change in the evolution of the Sun, which could ultimately lead to the destruction of the Earth. In the distant future, the Sun will definitely turn into a giant red star, increasing its size by 200 times.
This process will lead to the destruction of Mercury, Venus and Earth, and the universe will be completely changed. However, there is no need to worry about this at the moment, since these events will not occur for at least 5 billion years. According to Edward Bloomer of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, UK, within the mentioned period of time the Sun will turn into a red giant.
This will happen because the core of our star will begin to run out of hydrogen, which is necessary to maintain thermonuclear fusion. Indeed, it is this process that allows the star to release heat, and a so-called habitable zone has formed around the Sun, where the necessary conditions for supporting life have been created. And this is the only planet on which life is known to exist – Earth.
When the Sun runs out of hydrogen in its core, internal processes will occur that will lead to significant expansion of the star. If the diameter of our Sun is now approximately 1.4 million kilometers, then at the red giant stage it can increase to 300 million kilometers, which is more than 200 times its current size.
Some models suggest that the Sun may not reach such enormous sizes, and its diameter may only increase to less than 150 million kilometers. This distance corresponds to the approximate distance of the Earth from the Sun. Even if such a scenario occurs, our planet will still turn out to be a desert scorched by solar radiation, on which no life can exist. The atmosphere and oceans on Earth will evaporate, leaving only a bare rocky ball.
According to Blumer, the expansion of the Sun will also have consequences for the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Their atmospheres will also evaporate due to the intense radiation and heat emanating from the red giant.
Earlier, “Cursor” wrote that among the numerous theories about the end of the world, those that are related to the future of the Sun predominate. This is understandable, given that life on our planet directly depends on this star. If the Sun goes out, it will lead to the extinction of life and possibly the end of humanity.
2024-03-16 20:48:09