Hope dims that Earth will survive Sun's death (DOOMED? You betcha...)

Space Newscientist .com ^ | 2/22/08 | Jason Palmer

[Libloather]

Hope dims that Earth will survive Sun's death
19:09 22 February 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Jason Palmer

The future looks bright for the Earth – but not in the way we’d hoped. The slim chance our planet will survive when the Sun begins its death throes has been ruled out.

In a few billion years, the Sun will fuse the last of its hydrogen into helium, turn into a red giant and expand to 250 times its current size. At first, the Sun’s loss of mass will loosen its gravitational pull on Earth, which will allow the planet to migrate to a wider orbit about 7.6 billion years from now.

This process has led some to speculate that the Earth might escape destruction – but survival now seems impossible, says Peter Schröder of the University of Guanajuato in Mexico and Robert Smith of the University of Sussex in the UK.

They created the most detailed model to date of the Sun’s transition to a red giant, based on observations of six nearby red giant stars. Sure enough, they found that Earth’s orbit will widen at first. But Earth will also induce a “tidal bulge” on the Sun’s surface, with its own gravitational pull. The bulge will lag just behind the Earth in its orbit, slowing it down enough to drag it to a fiery demise.

There is one last hope for anybody still living on Earth, the researchers say. In the past, some have suggested that Earth’s orbit could be tweaked by arranging the fly-by of a nearby asteroid to tug at it. This method could potentially maintain Earth’s speed enough to keep it in a widening orbit, they say.

Journal reference: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13022.x)

[Libloather]

Algore - eat your heart out...

The last place on earth to survive when the sun explodes
16 June 2007
Stephen Battersby
Magazine issue 2608

What is the last place on Earth? The very last place on Earth, ever? Here's a clue: wherever on the surface of the planet you are now sitting, it's around 6400 kilometres and 5 billion years away.

That date, more or less, is when the sun becomes a red giant. It will do so twice. First it will swell to about the size of Earth's orbit today. We are likely to escape being swallowed at that point, because the sun will have shed some of its mass, weakening its gravitational grip, so we will be orbiting somewhat farther out than today. Then after a few hundred million years, during which the sun will have briefly shrunk to a more sensible size, it will become a giant again, this time growing larger still.

Its outer envelope of hot gas probably won't quite reach the Earth at first, but we are likely ...

http://space.newscientist.com/article/mg19426083.000

[Perdogg]

Don’t worry Obama will save us.

[Army Air Corps]

I have a planetary teleporter, but the fee for use is rather high...

[Army Air Corps]

He will sit down with the Sun and open a dialogue to explore a way to bridge the gap in understanding...

[Mr. Jeeves]

We’ll just build a giant rocket engine about where Detroit used to be, turn on our portable heaters, and head Spaceship Earth out for a long trip to another solar system. ;)

[fieldmarshaldj]

Women and minorities hardest hit.

...and Bush’s fault.

[Gondring]

The Meek shall inherit the Earth...

We Bold shall inherit the Stars!

[Charles Henrickson]

In a few billion years, the Sun will fuse the last of its hydrogen into helium, turn into a red giant and expand to 250 times its current size.

D*MN Bush!

[Libloather]

I have a planetary teleporter, but the fee for use is rather high...

You must work for MCI.

[Gondring]

Shoot...I blew that one! Let's try again...

The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth...

We Bold Shall Inhabit the Stars!

[writer33]

Where’s Carl Sagan when you need him?

But if Obama is elected and we’re destroyed by the Sun, then at least we’ll be united as a country. :-)

[uptoolate]

There is one last hope for anybody still living on Earth, the researchers say. In the past, some have suggested that Earth’s orbit could be tweaked by arranging the fly-by of a nearby asteroid to tug at it. This method could potentially maintain Earth’s speed enough to keep it in a widening orbit, they say.

What temperature will the earth be during this? I'm under the impression that the earth is in the perfect orbit needed to maintain the range in temperature we have now. But it won't matter anyway, we will all be dead and the planet will be long gone from burning fossil fuels and creating 'global warming'.

[FlingWingFlyer]

We need to get Algore and his band of loopy enviros on this right away. Time is running out!

[D-fendr]

What are we doing stop Solar Warming?

[353FMG]

“We’ll just build a giant rocket engine about where Detroit used to be, turn on our portable heaters, and head Spaceship Earth out for a long trip to another solar system.”

And do not make the mistake to bring the Muslims along, or you’ll get the same $hit all over again.

Bon voyage to all you travelers because I don’t think I that I’ll be joining you guys.

[Libloather]

But it won't matter anyway, we will all be dead.

Please, whatever you do, buy a Prius.

[zadox]

In a few billion years.... whew!
Ha, dodged that bullet!

[pallis]

Que sera sera.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Well. I suppose that means bad news for the GOP during the 200,000,008 election. And what's the use in taking vitamins if we're thus doomed?

We are likely to escape being swallowed at that point, because the sun will have shed some of its mass, weakening its gravitational grip, so we will be orbiting somewhat farther out than today. Then after a few hundred million years, during which the sun will have briefly shrunk to a more sensible size, it will become a giant again, this time growing larger still.

If "billions and billions of years ago," the sun was a much bigger star with more mass, why didn't Earth get pulled into the sun then? You may insert any AlGore=Planet or Michael Moore jokes here.




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[Libloather]

But if Obama is elected and we’re destroyed by the Sun, then at least we’ll be united as a country.

When the sun goes out, global warming will be kinda cool (so to speak) - no?