Comments on: Earth Will Die a Hot Horrible Death when the Sun Expands and Swallows Us, and Now We Know What That Looks Like http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/earth-will-die-a-hot-horrible-death-when-the-sun-expands-and-swallows-us-and-now-we-know-what-that-looks-like/ Keeping You Current Thu, 23 May 2013 12:59:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Norman http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/earth-will-die-a-hot-horrible-death-when-the-sun-expands-and-swallows-us-and-now-we-know-what-that-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-493 Norman Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:27:29 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/?p=2909#comment-493 Then again our glass may be half full? Are we not just in the right place in our solar system to cause the outward pulsing gravity (flair-ups)of a dying red sun to nudge us out and into a further orbit away from the ever expanding sun? Or is that just science mumbo jumbo? Then again our glass may be half full? Are we not just in the right place in our solar system to cause the outward pulsing gravity (flair-ups)of a dying red sun to nudge us out and into a further orbit away from the ever expanding sun? Or is that just science mumbo jumbo?

]]> By: Mike http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/earth-will-die-a-hot-horrible-death-when-the-sun-expands-and-swallows-us-and-now-we-know-what-that-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-484 Mike Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:09:22 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/?p=2909#comment-484 I didn't realize that the sun was in an ever expanding mode that will eventually reach it's zenith. I always thought that there would be a "sudden" flare-up. (Sudden as in a couple hundred or thousand years). Sorta like a supernova only not having enough mass it doesn't blow itself apart, just flares then dies down to a white dwarf or whatever. Thanks for the article Colin. I didn’t realize that the sun was in an ever expanding mode that will eventually reach it’s zenith. I always thought that there would be a “sudden” flare-up. (Sudden as in a couple hundred or thousand years).
Sorta like a supernova only not having enough mass it doesn’t blow itself apart, just flares then dies down to a white dwarf or whatever.
Thanks for the article Colin.

]]> By: Colin Schultz http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/earth-will-die-a-hot-horrible-death-when-the-sun-expands-and-swallows-us-and-now-we-know-what-that-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-482 Colin Schultz Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:18:32 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/?p=2909#comment-482 Hi Neil, Thanks for your comments on this. I did try to address the ongoing debate over the issue which you bring up by pointing people to David Appell's great story on the issue from a few years back. However, it does seem to be the dominant view that an expanding Sun wouldn't be particularly kind to our little blue sphere. Hi Neil,

Thanks for your comments on this. I did try to address the ongoing debate over the issue which you bring up by pointing people to David Appell’s great story on the issue from a few years back. However, it does seem to be the dominant view that an expanding Sun wouldn’t be particularly kind to our little blue sphere.

]]> By: Neil http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/earth-will-die-a-hot-horrible-death-when-the-sun-expands-and-swallows-us-and-now-we-know-what-that-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-480 Neil Wed, 22 Aug 2012 03:23:10 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/?p=2909#comment-480 While it's a great way to get people's attention so that they will read this article, we do not know for certain whether Earth will suffer the same fate as the planet mentioned in this article. There's some debate amongst scientists who also believe that the Earth may be pushed further outward in it's orbit along with the outer planets. We will never know for certain. What is more certain is that the earth will be rendered uninhabitable long before the Sun engulfs it. While it’s a great way to get people’s attention so that they will read this article, we do not know for certain whether Earth will suffer the same fate as the planet mentioned in this article. There’s some debate amongst scientists who also believe that the Earth may be pushed further outward in it’s orbit along with the outer planets. We will never know for certain. What is more certain is that the earth will be rendered uninhabitable long before the Sun engulfs it.

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