What will happen if the Sun goes out: an apocalypse or a new life?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

Everyone understands that life on planet Earth cannot be imagined without the main source of light shining in the sky - the Sun. It is thanks to him that the planets rotate on their axis. It is thanks to the Sun that life appeared on Earth.

Since ancient times, people have been thinking about the question: what will happen if the Sun goes out? Scientists put forward their versions, filmmakers repeatedly make films on this topic. What will happen to humanity, and indeed to the whole living world on Earth?

Why might the Sun go out?

The power of radiation that falls from the Sun to the Earth is equal to 170 trillion kW. In addition, 2 billion times more energy is dissipated into space. The theory of relativity says: the expenditure of energy affects the loss of mass.

The sun loses 240 million tons of weight every minute. Scientists have calculated that the lifespan of the Sun is 10 billion years.

So how much time is left? Scientists suggest that exactly half of the allotted time, that is, 5 billion years.

What next? And if the Sun goes out, what will happen to the Earth? Regarding this global issue, there are many opinions anddisputes. Below are just a few.

Eternal darkness

If you turn off the light source in a completely isolated room, then complete darkness will come. What happens if the sun goes out? The same.

At first glance, this is not entirely dangerous for humanity. After all, people have invented other sources of light. But how long will they last? But the cessation of the flow of sunlight will adversely affect the plants. And in just a week they will all die. As a result, photosynthesis and the process of producing oxygen on Earth will stop.

Loss of gravity

The sun is a kind of magnet. Thanks to its attraction, the eight planets of the solar system do not move randomly, but strictly along the axes around the center. What happens if the sun suddenly goes out? All of them, having lost the force of gravity, will begin to randomly travel through the vast expanses of the galaxy.

For the Earth, this is likely to lead to tragic consequences. After all, a collision with even a small space object, not to mention another planet, can simply tear it apart. Does this mean that if the Sun goes out, the Earth will perish? But there are also optimists among scientists who argue that the earth can survive. But such an option is possible if it gets into the Milky Way, where it finds a new star and, accordingly, a new orbit.

Life ends

As already noted, life cannot be imagined without sunlight andheat. So what happens if the Sun goes out? Plants are the first to suffer. They will literally disappear within the first week. Only large trees, thanks to the reserves of sucrose, will be able to exist for some time. Then, having lost the source of food, first herbivores will die, and then predators. In addition, the disappearance of plants will stop the production of oxygen, which will further accelerate the extinction of living organisms on Earth. The inhabitants of the deep ocean have the advantage. Firstly, they do not need light, because they are accustomed to constant darkness. Second, they are less dependent on oxygen as they don't need to float to the surface like most fish do.

But life on earth will not completely die. History knows cases of survival of some species (for example, cockroaches) even after the most global changes. Some microorganisms will continue to exist for many hundreds or even thousands of years. Perhaps in the future they will be the beginning of a new life on earth.

Misty future for man

It has been proven more than once that people adapt to different conditions. What happens if the sun goes out? Having evolved, humanity has learned to create other sources of light. They will be enough for a while.

In addition, you can use the energy of the earth, including volcanoes. Icelanders are already using geothermal energy to heat their homes. Yes, and without food sources, a person can survive. First, because of its stamina. In-secondly, thanks to the fact that he learned to create food himself.

Another Ice Age

As we know from history, the Earth has already experienced ice ages. But they do not go to any comparison with the one that will come after the sun goes out. According to the theory of scientists, literally in a week the temperature in all corners of the globe will drop to minus 17 degrees Celsius. In a year, it will drop to minus 40. Initially, land will be covered with ice, especially those areas that are located far from water.

Then the ice cap will cover all the seas and oceans. However, the ice will be in some sense a heater for water at depth, so the seas and oceans will turn completely into ice only after hundreds of thousands of years.

So is everything really so sad, humanity is doomed?

It is quite difficult to give a positive or negative answer to this question. What is certain is that life will change drastically. If the Earth is lucky not to collide with a cosmic body and it remains safe and sound, this does not mean that its inhabitants will survive. Plants and animals will eventually cease to exist. But what about people? They will have to adapt to new conditions: complete darkness, lack of natural food, constant cold. You can still get used to it. But due to the lack of oxygen in the air, the future of mankind is at stake. Only the creation of alternative sources will save it.

So what happens if the Sun goes out? The entire solar system is undergoing dramatic changes. Only one thing pleases: they will comethey are most likely only 5 billion years from now.