The Sun, vital for life on Earth, will begin to die in about 5 billion years. As it runs out of hydrogen, it will expand into a red giant, possibly engulfing nearby planets, including Earth. This transformation will raise Earth’s temperature, making it uninhabitable, and may eventually end life as we know it.

BulletsIn

• Sun to start dying in 5 billion years
• Will expand into a red giant, may engulf Earth
• Surface heat will rise, oceans evaporate
• Earth’s atmosphere likely to escape into space
• Outer planets may become briefly habitable
• Red giant phase to last about 1 billion years
• Sun to end as a white dwarf after shedding layers
• Life on Earth likely extinct due to heat, radiation
• Human survival may depend on space migration
• Movie “Project Hail Mary” explores similar concept