A recent study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society has painted a shocking scenario for our solar system in five billion years. The research predicts that Mercury and Venus, and potentially even Earth, will face their final fate by being crushed and engulfed by the Sun.
Led by an international team of astrophysicists, this study has offered new insights into what might unfold in our planetary system once the Sun exhausts its energy. Professor Boris Gaensicke from the University of Warwick explained that if Earth were to be engulfed by the Sun along with Mercury and Venus, it would lose its atmosphere and ocean, ultimately rendering it uninhabitable.
The fate of smaller asteroids and moons is predicted to be even bleaker, as they are expected to be smashed into dust before falling into the dying star. This catastrophic event would leave Mars and the four gas giants orbiting around what would eventually become a white dwarf star.
The study also delves into the behavior of white dwarfs and how they interact with celestial bodies. Scientists have observed that when asteroids, moons, or planets approach white dwarfs, their enormous gravity tears them into smaller pieces, eventually transforming them into dust that falls towards the white dwarf.
The research focused on three different white dwarfs, revealing variations in brightness over a 17-year period and shedding light on the transformation of these fragments. The findings indicate that the behavior of these systems can evolve rapidly, providing valuable insights into stellar formation and evolution.
Overall, this study offers a glimpse into the distant future of our solar system and the potential fate that awaits some of our neighboring planets. While the predictions may be unsettling, they contribute to our understanding of the lifecycle of stars and planets in the universe.