Study Says Earth May Survive Sun’s 5 Billion-Year Red Giant Phase as L2 Pup Data Recasts Risk
Updated
Updated · Fox Weather · Jul 8
Study Says Earth May Survive Sun’s 5 Billion-Year Red Giant Phase as L2 Pup Data Recasts Risk
3 articles · Updated · Fox Weather · Jul 8
Summary
Five billion years from now, Earth may avoid being swallowed when the Sun expands into a red giant, according to a new Astronomy & Astrophysics study.
L2 Pup observations drove the revision: researchers measured how much mass the nearby dying star is shedding and used that real-world data to recalculate Earth’s fate.
High AGB mass-loss rates would let Earth drift into a wider orbit, while low rates would leave tidal forces strong enough to drag the planet inward and engulf it.
The study says the outcome remains unresolved because AGB mass-loss rates are still observationally uncertain, even as it challenges the long-held view that Earth’s destruction was inevitable.