5 to 7 Billion Years from Now: The Red Giant Phase
- Our Sun, having depleted its hydrogen and helium supply, will expand into a red giant, reaching up to 256 times its current size.
- The expanding red giant will sweep through the inner solar system, swallowing Mercury and Venus.
- Earth’s temperature will rise dramatically, leading to catastrophic changes in its environment.
5 Million Years into the Red Giant Phase:
- Carbon dioxide levels drop due to extreme heat, halting photosynthesis and killing plants.
- Oxygen production ceases, leading to the extinction of mammals, birds, and oxygen-dependent creatures.
- Hardy organisms like microbes and tardigrades, capable of withstanding extreme radiation and heat, will survive the longest.
Earth’s Transformation:
- Rising temperatures result in intense rainstorms and high winds, causing significant damage to the planet’s surface.
- Surface temperatures reach more than 2,400 K (2,130°C or 3,860°F), making life impossible.
- The atmosphere dissipates, and Earth’s surface becomes dominated by metal and metal oxides.
- All oceans evaporate, leaving behind a massive lava ocean.
- With no water, tectonic plate movement halts, freezing Earth’s geological processes.
7.6 Billion Years from Now: Earth and Moon Engulfed
- The red giant continues to expand, engulfing Earth and the Moon.
- The habitable zone shifts outward to the Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune.
- Icy worlds in the Kuiper Belt, such as Triton (Neptune’s moon) and the dwarf planet Eris, develop liquid water due to the heat from the red giant.
- These locations could become viable options for human colonies and settlements.
1 Quadrillion Years Later: The Black Dwarf Phase
- The Sun exhausts its fuel entirely, transitioning from a white dwarf to a black dwarf—a cold, dark remnant the size of Earth.
- The once vibrant star that sustained life becomes a faint shadow of its former self, marking the end of its stellar lifecycle.
A Glimmer of Hope for Humanity
While Earth’s fate is sealed in the distant future, humans may adapt by colonizing new worlds within the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Planets and moons with melted ice and liquid water, like Triton and Eris, could offer a second chance for survival amidst the universe’s ever-changing dynamics.
