• Question: what will happen to pour sun in 1,000,000 years time

    Asked by conorcarolan to Cathal, Daphne, Darren, Jon, Katherine on 10 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Darren Logan

      Darren Logan answered on 10 Mar 2012:

      Not much different from today, really.

      The sun’s temperature is increasing, but realllllllllllllly slowly. So in a million years time it will be about 0.01% brighter and hotter than today. It will take about 5 billion years before the sun begins to change dramatically. Around then it will begin to expand into a red giant and its outer layers will begin to expand. By then the sun’s temperature will be 50% hotter than today.

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