Hum Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Scientist have nailed down how and when the Earth will cease to exist. The sun will slowly expand into a red giant, pushing the Earth farther out into space, but not far enough. Our home planet will be snagged by the sun's outer atmosphere, gradually plunging to its doom inside the fiery stellar furnace. "The drag caused by this low-density gas is enough to cause the Earth to drift inwards, and finally to be captured and vaporized by the sun," explains astronomer Robert Smith of the University of Sussex in southern England. Previous projections had all figured that the Earth would avoid falling into the sun, even during our star's red-giant phase. The good news: This won't happen for another 7.6 billion years. The bad news: Life on Earth will end long before then. In fact, we've only got a billion years left before the slowly expanding sun boils off the oceans and reduces our planet to an uninhabitable cinder, says Smith. That may sound like a long time, but in fact life on Earth's been around a lot longer than that ? a total of 3.7 billion years, according to the latest estimates. For those first three billion years, true, we were nothing but pond scum. Still, the new figures indicate the long story of life on our fair blue-green planet may be entering its last act. Is there any way our future descendants can save themselves? Why, yes, explains Smith. He cites a recent study emanating from the University of California, Santa Cruz. It proposes taming an asteroid to swing by the Earth every few thousand years, slowly nudging the Earth into higher solar orbit, enough to outpace the sun's own outward growth. "This sounds like science fiction," says Smith. "But it seems that the energy requirements are just about possible and the technology could be developed over the next few centuries." source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGS4-SS Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 So our sun is still on the main sequence. Good to know it won't leave it for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted February 26, 2008 Author Share Posted February 26, 2008 Maybe we can refuel the Sun. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserk87 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Maybe we can refuel the Sun. ;) in 1000 years we will have colonized other planets...if there isnt something else that interviens...( ;) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azusa Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 yet again they waste time on finding out how we die instead of looking for ways make make sure we see the year 3K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remix17 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I'll be surprised if the humanity lasts as long as the beginning of the next century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jokeripa Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 yet again they waste time on finding out how we die instead of looking for ways make make sure we see the year 3K Well they need to find out how we might possibly die first so then they can work on preventing it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V9s Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 i personally think that the world will end in the year 2280....let's see what happens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guru Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 whats so special about 2280? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 ^ Probably a religious prophecy. I think Nostradamus says something about the 3800's for an 'end' of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acies Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'll be surprised if the humanity lasts as long as the beginning of the next century. Why? I think Nostradamus says something about the 3800's for an 'end' of the world. I thought he predicted much earlier than that...as in a date that already past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remix17 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Why? The upcoming technologies such as AI or nanotechnology are too powerful to be controlled IMO. I think our demise is imminent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernatch Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 i personally think that the world will end in the year 2280....let's see what happens! I'll be dead, sorry. Hope you enjoy the show without me though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The sun going Red giant on us has been known for quite some time. Most say the sun is currently half way through it's fuel usage. The way to figure this out, is to measure it's luminosity and mass. Total solar mass 2x10^30 kg being used up at 6 x10^11 kg/sec will last ~ 3x10^18 secs = 10^11 years . So the Sun will go Red Giant in about a tenth of this time, as only the core is available for fuel, so the total lifetime of the solar system as we know it will be 10^10 years and the present age is roughly 5x10^9. The amount of energy lost per unit time (by radiation --> the luminosity) should equal the amount of energy generated per unit time (by nuclear fusion). If this weren't the case, the temperature and physical size of the sun would be changing rapidly (by cosmic standards) with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 yet again they waste time on finding out how we die instead of looking for ways make make sure we see the year 3K Who's says that they're not? Have you taken a glance at what research has been done into space propulsion, shipdesign etc? No you haven't, thanks for that generalization, again you make no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 ...if there isnt someone else that interviens...( ;) ) Fixed. :D I strongly believe we are living in the end times, loads of proof, in a few years, I'll probably get round to making a thread on it, I believe its all going to end in this generation or the next generations life time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserk87 Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Fixed. :DI strongly believe we are living in the end times, loads of proof, in a few years, I'll probably get round to making a thread on it, I believe its all going to end in this generation or the next generations life time. i feel the same way, which would be interesting to see how the world falls apart, but at the same time, wishing i wasn't here :p and ya...when i said "something" the apocalypse was what i was hinting at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGS4-SS Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Fixed. :DI strongly believe we are living in the end times, loads of proof, in a few years, I'll probably get round to making a thread on it, I believe its all going to end in this generation or the next generations life time. Care to make a bet about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticWhisper Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 loads of proof Such as? Examples, now. Right now. That is, if you want to be taken seriously by scientific-minded people. in a few years, I'll probably get round to making a thread on it State your case now or stop running your mouth. You've talked a lot about "in a few years" this, "when my research is done" that. It's time to either put up or shut up. You've made us all painfully aware you're doing so much research about proving your religious hypotheses to be correct, and it's about time you delivered or got back to work. I believe You're entitled to believe what you want. You're not entitled to have us all take it seriously just because you or the bible said it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacemf Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 i hate it when ppl make these "we know when the world will end" crap why? cos i go out and spend like crazy on my credit cards knowning the world will end only to find out its not true! i smell a lawsuit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserk87 Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 i hate it when ppl make these "we know when the world will end" crapwhy? cos i go out and spend like crazy on my credit cards knowning the world will end only to find out its not true! i smell a lawsuit! population rising exponentially? resources declining exponentially? unless we start colonizing other planets withing my lifespan, the worlds going to turn to sh*t, or there'll be a world wide "one child" policy. :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acies Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 population rising exponentially?resources declining exponentially? unless we start colonizing other planets withing my lifespan, the worlds going to turn to sh*t, or there'll be a world wide "one child" policy. :s According to Blade Runner(my Bible) we should start colonizing planets before 2019. Also flying cars and robots should be on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digipoi Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 taming an asteroid to swing by the Earth every few thousand years :laugh: Thats awesome but how the hell do you pull that off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserk87 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 According to Blade Runner(my Bible) we should start colonizing planets before 2019. Also flying cars and robots should be on the way. :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticWhisper Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 :laugh: Thats awesome but how the hell do you pull that off. Asteroid biscuits and a giant newspaper, duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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