• Question: what is your estimate on how long it will take for the sun to turn into a red dwarf!!!

    Asked by hedwards to Cathal, Daphne, Darren, Jon, Katherine on 18 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Katherine Haxton

      Katherine Haxton answered on 18 Mar 2012:

      Our sun is classed as a yellow dwarf at the moment and it’s about 4.6 billion years old. As it ages, it will become a red giant and will expand and destroy the earth. Scientists think it will do that in about 5 billion years time! It will then slowly cool and form a white dwarf over another few billion years. Our sun is not the right kind to become a red dwarf, but we’ve got about 5 billion years before we really need to worry!

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