Dying star gives sneak peek of sun's demise

Topdawg13 · Jan 20, 2010

Click Here

This sun twin, called Chi Cygni, lies about 550 light-years away from Earth. As it nears the end of its life, it has bloated in size and begun to pulse in and out like a giant beating heart. These are the telltale signs of a star running out of fuel after billions of years shining bright.

New close-up photos of this star are offering a sneak peek at our own sun's demise. The sun is now 4.6 billion years old.

"This work opens a window onto the fate of our sun five billion years from now, when it will near the end of its life," said astronomer Sylvestre Lacour of the Observatoire de Paris.

Chi Cygni is now in a phase of its life called the red giant stage where it has inflated so much that, were it in our solar system, it would engulf every planet out to Mars. And indeed, the sun will likely do just that one day when it is a red giant. At that point, the Earth will most likely be toast.
Click to expand...

Log in / Register

Forums

Dying star gives sneak peek of sun's demise

Topdawg13 New Member

Share This Page

Log in / Register

Useful Searches

Dying star gives sneak peek of sun's demise

Topdawg13 New Member

Share This Page