Astrophysicists have allowed the Earth to be saved from being swallowed up by the Sun in 5 billion years
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- Astrophysicists have allowed the Earth to be saved from being swallowed up by the Sun in 5 billion years
The Earth can avoid being engulfed by the expanding fireball of the dying Sun, which has long been considered the ultimate fate of the planet. This was reported on June 19 by the Science X news portal.
According to forecasts of astrophysicists, this event will occur no earlier than in 5 billion years. When the Sun has exhausted all the hydrogen in its core, it will go through two phases of expansion: first it will turn into a red giant, and then into a star of the asymptotic branch of giants. During this period, the fate of the Earth will be influenced by two multidirectional processes.
On the one hand, gravitational tidal forces will pull the planet towards the sun, on the other hand, the Sun will begin to lose mass due to the stellar wind, which should push the Earth into a more distant orbit.
Mats Esselders, lead author of the study and an astrophysicist at the University of Leuven in Belgium
The fate of the Earth depends on a delicate balance between these two factors. If tidal interactions prevail, then the Sun absorbs the Earth. If the loss of mass of the Sun prevails, then the Earth enters an orbit whose radius exceeds the radius of the star.
Until recently, the scientific community was inclined to the first hypothesis. However, over the past 15 years, tidal force modeling has improved significantly. New calculations have shown that the processes of dissipation (energy dissipation) occur less intensively than previously assumed.
Stefan Mathis, a co-author of the paper, emphasized that a deeper understanding of the physics of tides and modern data on mass loss allow scientists, with the current level of knowledge, to assert that the Earth, contrary to previous forecasts, may move away from the Sun.
According to the results of mathematical modeling, Mars will also be able to avoid the "death spiral". At the same time, Mercury and Venus will be less fortunate: the expanding Sun will inevitably swallow up the two planets closest to it. After the completion of the expansion phases, the star will turn into a white dwarf, an extremely dense star that will fade and cool over time.
On June 18, the Science X news portal reported the discovery of hidden waves to clear the Earth of dangerous electrons. According to the publication, the so-called coherent "choral waves" have a powerful electric charge. According to the probes, in areas with low plasma density, the waves can "tilt" at extreme angles: in this state, their magnetic force weakens, and the electric field begins to dominate.
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