Will Earth Be Saved From Red Giant Sun?

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by common_sense_seeker, Sep 18, 2008.

  1. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    The Sun is due to expand just beyond the Earth's current orbit to form a Red Giant some time in the distant future. But will our planet have receded enough by then to a safe distance, in a similar way that the Moon has been shown to be receding from the Earth??
     
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    In the next 1.1 billion years, its brightness will increase by 10%. This will super-heat our planet as a result of a severe greenhouse effect. All of the oceans on earth will boil away and all life will be destroyed.

    In about 6.5 billion years, our sun will double in brightness and use up all of its supply of hydrogen fuel in its core. This will cause the sun to begin swelling as it uses hydrogen from the layers surrounding the core.

    In about 8 billion years the sun will swell to 166 times its present size. This giant star will swallow up Mercury, Venus, and maybe even our Earth. Our sun will then be what scientists call a Red Giant because it will be very large and red in color.

    After all hydrogen fuel is used, the sun will begin to use helium as its fuel. This fuel will burn very quickly and only last about 100 million years.

    In about 12 billion years, the sun will eject much of its outer layers and become a smoldering, collapsed core that scientists would call a White Dwarf.


    This will certainly be a violent end for our sun and the earth. This does not, however, mean the end of the human race. If our science and technology capability continues to advance, we may be able to explore and colonize other worlds. Home, for future humans, may be billions and billions of miles from our home world of earth.

    http://www.frontiernet.net/~docbob/sun.htm
     
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  5. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks for the optimism, with which I agree. But just on a technical point, is it possible to calculate the likely increase in orbital distance of the Earth, so as to evade the expanding Sun? Our future descendants may wish to visit due to a feeling of long lost nostalgia.
     
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  7. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    We could hypothetically move earth's orbit back, exactly how is a matter of debate. This will stop working once the sun burns out, but at least it adds 3-4 billion years to the earth life span.
     
  8. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    I originally meant by the laws of physics, since the Moon has been shown to be receding from the Earth.
     
  9. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    yeah well the idea is to throw large asteroids by the earth, as they do they would add slight amounts if energy to earth orbit, it would take thousands of swing byes to move earth's orbit by just a little. Nothing radical enough to cause earthquakes or pole-shifts or what ever else goes on in your brain.
     
  10. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    Don't try and label me a pole-shift believer (i.e. Hapgood theory).
     
  11. Trippy ALEA IACTA EST Staff Member

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    Just a 'minor technical point' the mechanism of the earth receedin from the sun is different to that of the moon receeding from the earth (at least, as i've always understood it).
     
  12. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    I'm pretty sure if there are still humans (our their succesors) in 1.1 billion years these kind of problems will be giving in junior class. We would have surpast star trek's Q in knowledge
     
  13. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks for stating the obvious. 85% of what's discussed on this board has no relevant meaning to anyone, now or EVER!
     
  14. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    Could you expand a little further.
     
  15. Trippy ALEA IACTA EST Staff Member

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    Sure, although my Dr says that if I put on too much more weight, I could be facing serious health risks.

    Seriously though.

    Earth-Moon - Angular momentum transfer via tidal braking.

    Sun-earth - Earths movement occurs because of the sun loosing mass (and conservation of angular momentum).
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2008
  16. common_sense_seeker Bicho Voador & Bicho Sugador Valued Senior Member

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    I'm surprised noone's done the calculation yet. We still don't know whether our future descendants will have a rock to visit. It would be reassuring to know.
     
  17. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    The rock will be there it's the future descendants you should worry abouth

    PS In the beginning (yust afther the big bang) there was only hydrogen and some trace gasses. All the heavier elements that make up your body all of your carbon calcium oxygen etc where forged in the heart of a star.
    You should remember that
     
  18. Reiku Banned Banned

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    No. We would need about 666,000 x the energy of the earth, to stop the suns expansion into a read giant, and that is totally impossible. We can't even reach 5% OF THAT energy never mind the energy i spoke of.
     
  19. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    ... You're sure? I wonder how much energy the universe emit's ad any given moment? Annyway I personally believe that within 20 000 -50 000 years(humans have existed for 130 000 years) we will be able to create all forms of energy(mass) and dimension out of what we now would now call nothing.
    I even believe that people will then search for nothing ness like we now search for the smallest particle
     
  20. Reiku Banned Banned

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    The best we could do, is evaluate and use the energy we can harvest to move to Satarns moon, at best. At least, by that time, i hope we have been able to harvest the technology to live on a barren gaseous planatoid.
     
  21. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    That made less sence then the average of the threath why saturn?
     
  22. nietzschefan Thread Killer Valued Senior Member

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    Titan is quite similar to earth in primordial past. I think even if we terraformed it a bit(and are able to do that in 500million years from now - one would hope), we might have problems with the time period we are on the "dark side" of Saturn.

    It's pretty much impossible to guess where we are going to be in 500 million years technologically speaking. We could even be on our 4th/5th/20th cycle of stoneage to nuclear drama and have not gotten anywhere.
     
  23. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    I doubt we would last 500 million years cycling over and over again without hitting the singularity at least once.
     

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