THE EXTREME FUTURE OF EARTH

   What is the future and fate of the unique planet on which we live? This is a question which the scientists are trying to answer in the modern days of advanced technologies. Well in fact, with any amount of advanced science, it is not possible to give a correct precise answer to this question. What actually will be the end of our earth is the question which time alone will tell. Man, however, due to his inherent curiosity cannot wait and see, and is, therefore trying to speculate or theorize on this issue, just as he did on the issue of the Earth’s origin.

Many astronomers had tried to find out the suitable answer to this riddle. Most of them try to connect the life of the earth with the availability of heat and light from the sun. Indeed if we were not so much dependent upon the sun, perhaps, in most probability, the earth might have lost forever. But since earth’s life is very much dependent upon the sun, it will possibly end, as and when the nuclear fuel get exhausted and it stops radiating energy.

On the basis of the studies of the older stars that resemble our sun, it has been seen that when the aging stars begin to run out of their nuclear fuel, they start burning and ultimately become dark. On the same analogy, our sun will also one day behave in the same fashion, and thus in most probability, the end of our earth will come in the following manner:

When once the original hydrogen of the gets converted into helium, its core will begin to contract. And as the core shrinks, it will generate sufficient heat to start thermonuclear reactions capable of producing incredible high temperatures. The nuclear furnaces may cause the body of the sun to expand, and thus gradually increasing the amount of heat and light radiation. This accelerated radiation should cause the sun to become hotter and hotter, and redder and redder, till it become a red giant (a mass of red hot, rarefied gas). During this stage of expansion of the sun and its great heat realizing powers, the two nearby planets i.e. Mercury and Mars may completely get vaporized and lost. As regard the 3^rd and 4^th planets i.e. Earth and Mars is concerned, it is possible that may also get vaporized, or may avoid that fate due to their greater distance from the sun. In any case, the earth will not escape the deadly high solar temperatures, the oceans will boil, the rocks will melt, and life destroyed.

    The future of our sun and earth upto this stage is quite certain although scientists cannot precisely define the events that would follow this. In all probability, after reaching the climax of hot red giant, the sun will steadily diminish in brightness and energy, and end itself into a white dwarf. This is possible because we have seen stars that have completely exhausted their supply of hydrogen and other nuclear fuel, and shine only because of their internal heat. As a white dwarf, the sun will continue to radiate its energy, and will gradually get cooled and contracted. In due time, it will probably shrink to the size of a planet, and become cold and dark.

With its fires gone out, the sun and the planets of the solar system will become the mercy of the icy temperatures of interstellar space. At these temperatures of hundreds degree below the freezing, gases will be converted into liquids, and liquids will become solids and thus the earth will eventually become a dark frozen mass.

 It however, very much possible that even in death, the sun will continue keeping hold on the remaining planets (i.e. those which won’t get vaporized), which will continue to revolve around this cold inert sun. this is because the sun’s mass and gravitational force will remain strong enough to keep the remaining planets locked in internal orbits around it.

   After predicting on as to how the earth’s end will come, we are now left with possible timing of this occurrence. When will these predicted solar changes occur?  Well the present and nearby population of the world has no cause to worry, because it seems possible that the life on earth will further continue to flourish for at least five billion years, perhaps even longer. This time period has been based on the assumption that medium sized stars, like the sun radiates at least ten billion years. After this time the hydrogen fuel of their core get exhausted. Thus, the sun, which, at present, is about five billion years old, is in its ‘middle age’ and will continue for a further period of about five billion years.