Scientists amazed: Earth may survive the Sun's heat

Scientists at the KU Leuven Institute of Astronomy in Belgium have announced that Earth could potentially survive the final stages of the Sun's life. According to new research, this probability may be much higher than previously thought.

The study was published in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Researchers re-evaluated Earth's future fate by observing a star similar to the Sun that has reached the final stage of its life. Experts explain that in about 5 billion years, the Sun will exhaust the hydrogen in its core. After that, it will turn into a red giant and could expand to nearly 100 times its current size.

During this process, Earth will be subjected to two simultaneous effects. On one hand, the Sun's rapid expansion could pull the planet toward it. On the other hand, the star will lose its outer layers, reducing its mass. As a result, its gravitational pull will weaken, creating the possibility that Earth could shift into a more distant orbit.Study author Mats Esselders notes that Earth's future depends on the balance between these two processes. If the Sun's gravitational pull prevails, the planet will be swallowed. Otherwise, Earth might escape the danger zone.

To reach this conclusion, scientists also observed the star

L2 Puppis

located about 200 light-years from Earth. It was once similar to the Sun and is now experiencing the final stage of its life. Calculations based on modern gravitational models indicate that Earth could escape the influence of the expanding Sun. However, scientists emphasize that further observations and more precise data are needed to fully confirm this conclusion. At the same time, researchers noted that there is a very high probability that Mercury and Venus will be swallowed by the outer layers of the Sun as it turns into a red giant.

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