The Catastrophic Fate of Our Solar System: How Mercury, Venus, and Earth Will be Crushed by the Sun in Five Billion Years

A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society predicts that Mercury, Venus, Earth, and some of Jupiter’s moons will be crushed and engulfed by the sun as it runs out of energy in five billion years. The study was conducted by an international team of astrophysicists who studied what happens to planetary systems like ours when their host stars become white dwarfs.

The researchers found that once the sun expands and becomes a red giant before ending up as a white dwarf, it will likely engulf Mercury, Venus, and Earth. This would leave Mars and the gas giants orbiting the white dwarf. Smaller asteroids and moons would be smashed into dust before falling into the dead star, according to the study.

The fate of our solar system was described as potentially violent and catastrophic, with bodies like asteroids, moons, and planets being torn apart by the enormous gravity of white dwarfs. The team analyzed changes in the brightness of stars caused by objects passing in front of them, which revealed chaotic and disordered transits.

There were three white dwarfs studied in the research, each behaving differently. The researchers observed major catastrophic events, irregular dimming, and unpredictable variations in brightness over the years. The study provided insights into how bodies near white dwarfs are destroyed and transformed into dust.

Lead researcher Dr. Amornrat Aungwerojwit stated that the results of the study suggest that the fate of these systems is more complex than previously thought. The unpredictable behavior of transits around white dwarfs highlights