Scientists predict that the Earth will ultimately meet its end in approximately 7.5 billion years from now, a catastrophic event tied to the natural life cycle of our Sun.
The Sun's Lifecycle and Earth's Fate
This scientific understanding is based on the long-term stellar evolution of the Sun. As a star like our Sun exhausts its nuclear fuel, it undergoes significant transformations that will inevitably impact the inner planets, including Earth.
The process is generally understood to unfold as follows:
- Hydrogen Depletion: The Sun currently fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. When this primary fuel source begins to deplete, approximately 7.5 billion years from now, the Sun will no longer be able to maintain its current stable state.
- Red Giant Phase: Lacking sufficient internal pressure from fusion, the Sun's core will contract, causing its outer layers to expand dramatically and cool. This expansion will transform the Sun into a huge red giant, a colossal star many times its current size.
- Planetary Consumption: As a red giant, the Sun's swollen outer layers are projected to extend far beyond its current orbit, likely engulfing and consuming the inner planets, including Mercury, Venus, and Earth. This means the Earth will not just become uninhabitable; it will be physically absorbed by the expanding Sun.
This scientific prediction represents the ultimate fate of our planet, assuming no other cosmic or terrestrial events cause its demise sooner. It is a long-term astronomical certainty derived from our understanding of stellar physics.
