How does the sun die? / Astronomy – Sciences – Life

At the end of its life, when the hydrogen that is the fuel that fuels the nuclear fusion reactions that produces its energy is exhausted, the sun will begin to extinguish, which reduces the pressure inside it significantly, which generates a contraction and an increase in temperature.

Soon after, the final gasp causes the hydrogen remaining in the outer layers to burn to increase in volume, which is known as the red giant phase.

For this, there is about 5 billion years left, and the increase in temperature means that the heavier elements can also fuse, but within a few million years the total fuel will be exhausted and the sun will enter its final stage.

In this last stage, there is again a shrinkage in its size, which will not be reflected anymore, until a white dwarf is born, a very compact body, the size of the Earth but with a tremendous density, which mainly consists of the ancient core of the Sun, while the outer layers managed to escape something Little by little, a cloud of gas is formed that sparkles due to the radiation emitted by the white dwarf.

This complete cluster is known as a planetary nebula.

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