Como Funciona El Universo - Estrellas HQ 4/6

Summary

The life cycle of a star, including our Sun, is a fascinating journey from birth to death. As the Sun exhausts its hydrogen fuel, it will expand into a red giant, ultimately scorching the Earth. In its final stages, the Sun will become a white dwarf, incredibly dense and no bigger than Earth but a million times heavier. Larger stars, through a more violent end, create the raw materials for life, leaving behind a cosmic legacy that will one day take the form of a massive, pure carbon diamond in the sky.

Takeaways

• 😀 Stars, including our Sun, are destined to die when their fuel runs out and gravity takes over.
• 🌞 The Sun burns 600 million tons of hydrogen every second, which will last for about 7 billion years.
• 🔥 As the hydrogen runs out, the Sun will expand into a red giant, increasing its diameter to about 150 million kilometers.
• 🌅 In 7 billion years, Earth's sunrise will be dominated by a massive, red disc as the Sun becomes a red giant.
• 🌡️ When the Sun reaches the red giant phase, temperatures on Earth will soar to thousands of degrees, causing oceans to boil and mountains to melt.
• 💥 The Sun will eventually consume the Earth as it expands, marking the end of life on our planet.
• 🌪️ As the Sun enters the red giant phase, it will start burning helium, turning into a self-destructive entity, ejecting violent energy waves.
• 💨 The outer layers of the Sun will slowly disintegrate, leaving only its dense, hot core behind.
• ☁️ After the red giant phase, the Sun will become a white dwarf, no bigger than Earth but a million times denser.
• 💎 A white dwarf could contain a giant crystal of pure carbon, potentially a massive cosmic diamond, several thousand kilometers across.
• 🌟 While the Sun’s end may seem sad, it will leave behind a spectacular, trillion-trillion-trillion carat diamond in the sky, a breathtaking cosmic sight.

Q & A

How long does the Sun have before its hydrogen runs out?

The Sun is expected to run out of hydrogen in about 7 billion years.

What happens when the Sun's hydrogen fuel runs out?

As the hydrogen runs out, fusion in the Sun's core slows down, and gravity takes over, causing the star to implode.

What will happen to the Sun as it expands into a red giant?

As the Sun expands into a red giant, its diameter will increase from its current 1.5 million kilometers to about 150 million kilometers, significantly altering its appearance and the conditions on Earth.

How will the Earth be affected when the Sun becomes a red giant?

When the Sun becomes a red giant, it will bombard the Earth with intense heat, causing temperatures to reach thousands of degrees, melting mountains and boiling oceans. Life on Earth will end.

Will the Sun engulf the Earth when it becomes a red giant?

Yes, the Sun will expand so much that it will eventually swallow the Earth, as it becomes a red giant.

What happens to the Sun when it reaches the red giant stage?

The Sun will undergo a process of self-destruction, as its core becomes unstable and begins burning helium, creating violent waves of energy that blow off its outer layers.

What is a white dwarf, and how is it formed from a red giant?

A white dwarf is the remnant of a red giant star, created after the outer layers are blown away and the core becomes a dense, stable object. The fusion process stops, and the star is left as a tiny but extremely dense white dwarf.

How dense is a white dwarf?

A white dwarf is incredibly dense. If a piece of a white dwarf the size of a sugar cube were placed on Earth, it would pass through the ground due to its immense density.

What is thought to be at the core of a white dwarf?

Astronomers believe that at the core of a white dwarf is a giant crystal of pure carbon, which could be thought of as a cosmic diamond.

What is the significance of a dying star larger than the Sun?

A star much larger than the Sun has a much more violent death, and in the process of dying, it creates the raw materials necessary for life, such as heavier elements.