According to scientists’ calculations, a terrifying hypothesis may occur.
Scientific studies indicate that the Sun is currently entering the middle stage of its existence. This star continuously generates energy (and helium gas) by fusing hydrogen atoms in its core.
As the supply of hydrogen in the core runs low, stars like the Sun will begin to enter a phase that NASA refers to as the “red giant phase.”
NASA further explains: “In about 5 billion years, the Sun will start to exhaust its hydrogen supply in the core and will begin to collapse. This will cause the Sun to start fusing heavier elements in the core, while simultaneously struggling to fuse the remaining hydrogen in the layers surrounding the core. When this happens, the temperature of the Sun will increase, and the outer layers of the Sun’s atmosphere will expand further into space. The consequence of this will engulf the Earth.”
This phase will last for about one billion years before the Sun exhausts all possible materials for energy generation. The outer layers will gradually peel away, leaving behind a small white dwarf with a mass half that of the current Sun and a size similar to that of the Earth.
When energy is depleted, could the Sun become a black hole?
Once transformed into a white dwarf due to energy depletion, the Sun will not be able to become a dangerous black hole. This is simply because its size is too small. But in the event that the Sun did transform into a black hole, what would happen to Earth?
A black hole is an object with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape it. The black hole would be there, sucking in all surrounding matter, and this process would intensify over time.
It is natural to assume that if the Sun suddenly became a black hole, Earth would not escape. However, in reality, a black hole does not have a gravitational force beyond that created by its mass. Its immense gravity arises from the fact that it is formed by supermassive stars that have exhausted themselves. If the Sun were to become a black hole, it would have a mass equal to that of the current Sun.
Contrary to popular belief, black holes are not cosmic vacuum cleaners. If the Sun were suddenly replaced by a black hole of the same mass as it has now, Earth’s orbit around the Sun would remain unchanged because the gravitational force would not be strong enough to alter it.
However, humanity may not need to be overly concerned about this hypothesis. The reason is that immediately after the Sun turns into a white dwarf, the main source of heat (geothermal processes occurring within the planets) for all planets in the Solar System will disappear. Without that energy source, photosynthesis will stop immediately, leading to the extinction of all life on Earth.
