Scientists Predict the Sun Will Engulf Earth in 5 Billion Years, Social Media Panics

According to a recent study, scientists from major universities such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) predict that Earth will eventually be consumed by the sun.

While this cosmic catastrophe is not expected to happen for another 5 billion years, a lack of context in social media posts and a number of online articles has caused unnecessary concern and alarm.

Here's an explanation and official fact-checking of the discovery, first shared by AP News.

Astronomers' Alarming Discovery

In a recent discovery published in the journal Nature, scientists observed a star engulfing a gas giant planet, approximately the size of Jupiter.

The star, located near the Aquila constellation, devoured the planet between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago when it was already an ancient 10 billion years old.

The star emitted a swift, luminous outburst of light during this cosmic feast, followed by a long-lasting stream of dust shining brightly in cold infrared energy.

MIT researcher Kishalay De played a crucial role in this breakthrough. In 2020, while examining sky scans taken by Caltech's Palomar Observatory, De spotted the elusive luminous outburst.

It took a year of meticulous astronomer analysis to unravel the significance of this event, marking the first-ever direct observation of a star consuming a planet.

Red Novae

The observed event, ZTF SLRN-2020, shares similarities with a class of eruptions known as red novae.

Red novae occur when two stars merge and have been indirectly observed before. However, what sets ZTF SLRN-2020 apart is its unique combination of extremely low brightness in visible light and a relatively small amount of radiated energy.

Based on their observations, scientists estimate that subluminous red novae events, potentially caused by planet engulfment, occur in our galaxy at a rate of roughly between 0.1 to several per year. This revelation suggests that these cosmic events could be more frequent than previously believed.

When Will the Sun Consume the Earth?

The newfound understanding of star-planet interactions has led scientists to predict a similar fate for our home planet, Earth.

However, before panic sets in, it is essential to grasp the vast timescale involved. The unfortunate meeting between Earth and the 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star we call the Sun is estimated to occur 5 billion years from now.

If we still exist at that time, humanity's future generations will be the ones facing this cosmic apocalypse.

As stars age, they undergo a process of expansion, transforming into red giants. This transformation spells danger for planets orbiting too close.

Earth and other inner planets in our solar system could fall victim to the sun's swelling radius as it transitions into its red giant phase. This eventual engulfment, while inevitable, is merely a natural outcome of stellar evolution.

What Happens Next?

We should take a step back before we get carried away with apocalyptic thoughts.

This occurrence, while intriguing has little immediate impact on our future. But with these discoveries, scientists have gained a better knowledge of our solar system and the vast complexity of the universe.

Similar observations could help astronomers determine the final fate of other planets orbiting distant stars in the future. Closer to home, scientists are keeping a close eye on planets in our galaxy that orbit stars quite close to them.

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