The last sunrise: How the Sun will die and destroy our Solar System
07 Jul, 2025
Credit: Nasa
The Sun is currently in its main sequence phase, steadily fusing hydrogen into helium in its core; this will last for about another 5 billion years.
Once the hydrogen is depleted, the Sun's core will contract and heat up, while its outer layers expand—transforming the Sun into a red giant that may engulf Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth.
In the red giant phase, the Sun will begin fusing helium into heavier elements like carbon and oxygen, but this stage is relatively short-lived.
The Sun will become unstable, shedding its outer layers into space through strong stellar winds, forming a colorful planetary nebula.
The remaining core, now exposed, will be extremely hot and dense—this is the white dwarf stage, made mostly of carbon and oxygen.
The white dwarf will gradually cool and fade over trillions of years, eventually becoming a cold, dark 'black dwarf' (though the universe isn't old enough for any to exist yet).
Throughout this process, the Sun will lose about half its mass, dramatically altering the solar system and ending the possibility of life on Earth
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