An illustration of a scorched earth as the Sun entered its red giant phase. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Fsgregs.

Since the beginning of human history, people have understood that the Sun is the central part of their lives. Evidence of this is the importance of countless mythological and cosmological systems around the world (for example,). But as our understanding of this has matured over time, we have come to know that , and will continue to exist long after we are gone. Formed about 4.6 billion years ago, our Sun began its life cycle 40 million years before.

Perhaps it will be our new home, it will be a new Venus, and Haumea, Makemake and other objects will be located in. But what is perhaps the most fascinating of all this is how people can ask "will all this in the future still be here?", especially when this future is billions of years from now.

Somehow, the objects that were before us, and that will be here after we are gone, continue to fascinate us. And when dealing with things like the sun, the earth, and the known universe, it becomes absolutely necessary. Until now, our existence has been a flash compared to space, and how much we will endure is an open question.

The title of the article you read "Will the Earth Survive When the Sun Becomes a Red Giant?".

Global cataclysms, epidemics of terrible diseases, incessant wars... all this leads humanity to the fact that sooner or later it may die. Having worked out this scenario in more detail, we can imagine events in which the entire population of the Earth will die out at the same time. What will the planet be like after the last representative of the human race disappears from it? Let's get a look.

Energy

A few hours after our disappearance, the lights around the world will begin to go out, as most power plants are powered by a constant supply of fossil fuels. If people do not fill them, they will stop.

After 48 hours, a low level of energy consumption will be noted, and the nuclear power plant will automatically go into safe mode.

Wind turbines will be able to continue working until the lubrication runs out, and solar panels will sooner or later cease to function due to the accumulation of dust on them.

Electricity will be cut off in almost all areas, except those that are recharged by hydroelectric power plants.

2-3 days after the disappearance of people, most of the metro will be flooded, because there will be no one to manage the pump system.

Animals

After 10 days, pets locked at home will begin to die of hunger and thirst. Billions of chickens, cows and other livestock will die.

Some animals will be able to get out into the wild and there they will have to fight for survival.

Ornamental animals, such as cats and dogs, cannot survive without humans and will be the first to die.

Large breeds of dogs will begin to unite in packs, preying on small dogs or other animals. In a few weeks there won't be any small dog breeds left. Many of the dogs that survive will crossbreed with wolves.

But many animals will be happy for the disappearance of people. For example, the big animals of the oceans, such as whales, will prosper, their numbers will go off scale.

Ecology

About a month after our disappearance, the water that cools all the equipment will disappear at nuclear power plants. This will cause explosions and accidents.

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The approximate age of mankind is 200 thousand years, and during this time it has faced a huge number of changes. Since our appearance on the African continent, we have managed to colonize the whole world and even reached the moon. Beringia, which once connected Asia with North America, has long gone under water. What changes or developments could we expect if humanity lasts another billion years?

Well, let's start with the future in 10 thousand years. We will face the problem of the 10,000th year. Software that encodes the AD calendar will no longer be able to encode dates from now on. This will become a real problem, and furthermore, if the current trends of globalization continue, human genetic variation by this point will no longer be organized along regional lines. This means that all human genetic traits, such as skin and hair color, will be distributed evenly across the planet.

In 20,000 years, the languages ​​of the world will contain only one of a hundred vocabulary words of their modern counterparts. In fact, all modern languages ​​will lose recognition.

In 50,000 years, the Earth will begin a second ice age, despite the current effects of global warming. Niagara Falls will be completely washed away by the Erie River and disappear. Due to glacial uplift and erosion, the numerous lakes of the Canadian Shield will also cease to exist. In addition, a day on Earth will increase by one second, which will add a leap second to each day.

In 100,000 years, the stars and constellations visible from Earth will be strikingly different from today. In addition, according to preliminary calculations, this is how long it will take to completely transform Mars into a habitable planet like the Earth.

In 250,000 years, the Loihi volcano will rise above the surface, forming a new island in the Hawaiian Islands chain.

In 500 thousand years, an asteroid with a diameter of 1 km will very likely crash into the Earth if humanity does not somehow prevent this. And the Badlands National Park in South Dakota will completely disappear by this time.

In 950,000 years, Arizona Meteor Crater, considered the best-preserved meteorite impact crater on the planet, will be completely eroded away.

In 1 million years, the Earth is likely to experience a monstrous volcanic eruption, which will throw out 3,200 cubic meters of ash. It will be reminiscent of the 70,000-year-old Toba super-eruption that nearly wiped out humanity. In addition, the star Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova, and this can be observed from Earth even in the daytime.

Context

Russian service BBC 06.12.2016 In 2 million years, the Grand Canyon will collapse even more, deepen a little and expand to the size of a large valley. If humanity has colonized the various planets of the solar system and the universe by that time, and the population of each of them develops separately from each other, humanity will probably evolve into different species. They adapt to the conditions of their planets and, perhaps, will not even know about the existence of other species of their own kind in the Universe.

In 10 million years, much of West Africa will separate from the rest of the continent. A new ocean basin will form between them, and Africa will be divided into two separate pieces of land.

In 50 million years, Mars' moon Phobos will crash into its planet, causing widespread destruction. And on Earth, the rest of Africa will collide with Eurasia and “close” the Mediterranean Sea forever. Between the two joined layers, a new mountain range is formed, similar in size to the Himalayas, one of the peaks of which may be higher than Everest.

In 60 million years, the Canadian Rockies will be leveled to the ground, turning into a flat plain.

In 80 million years, all the Hawaiian Islands will sink, and in 100 million years, the Earth will probably collide with an asteroid similar to the one that destroyed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, unless, of course, the catastrophe is prevented artificially. By this time, among other things, the rings around Saturn will disappear.

In 240 million years, the Earth will finally complete a complete revolution around the center of the galaxy from its current position.

In 250 million years, all the continents of our planet will merge into one, like Pangea. One of the variants of its name is Pangea Ultima, and it will look something like in the picture.

Then, after 400-500 million years, the supercontinent will again be divided into parts.

In 500-600 million years, a deadly gamma-ray burst will occur at a distance of 6,500 light-years from Earth. If the calculations are correct, this explosion could seriously damage the Earth's ozone layer, causing a mass extinction of species.

In 600 million years, the Moon will move far enough away from the Sun to cancel such a phenomenon as a total solar eclipse once and for all. In addition, the growing luminosity of the Sun will have serious consequences for our planet. The movement of tectonic plates will stop, and the level of carbon dioxide will drop dramatically. C3 photosynthesis will no longer occur, and 99% of the earth's flora will die.

After 800 million years, CO2 levels will continue to fall until C4 photosynthesis stops. Free oxygen and ozone will disappear from the atmosphere, as a result of which all life on Earth will perish.

And finally, in 1 billion years, the luminosity of the Sun will increase by 10% compared to its current state. The temperature of the Earth's surface will rise to an average of 47 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere will turn into a humid greenhouse, and the world's oceans will simply evaporate. "Pockets" of liquid water will still exist at the poles of the Earth, which means that they will probably become the last stronghold of life on our planet.

During this time, much will change, but much has changed over the past billion years. In addition to what we talked about in this video, who knows what can happen in such a long time?

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.

A year ago, in a speech at the Oxford University Union, the legendary Stephen Hawking declared that humanity could only survive for another 1,000 years. We have compiled the most exciting predictions for the new millennium.

8 PHOTOS

1. People will live for 1000 years.

Millionaires are already investing millions of dollars in research to slow or stop aging entirely. In 1000 years, medical engineers may be able to develop remedies for every ingredient that causes tissue to age. The gene-editing tools are already here, which could potentially control our genes and make humans immune to disease.

2. People will move to another planet.

In 1000 years, the only way for mankind to survive may be to create new settlements in space. SpaceX has a mission to "allow humans to become a space civilization." Founder Elon Musk is hoping for the first launch of his spacecraft by 2022, heading towards Mars.

3. We will all look the same.

In his speculative thought experiment, Dr. Kwan suggested that in the far future (100,000 years from now) humans will develop larger foreheads, larger nostrils, larger eyes, and more pigmented skin. Scientists are already working on ways to edit genomes so that parents can choose what their children will look like.

4. There will be super-fast smart computers.

In 2014, a supercomputer performed the most accurate simulation of the human brain to date. In 1000 years, computers will predict coincidences and overtake the computational speed of the human brain.

5. People will become cyborgs.

Machines can already improve human hearing and vision. Scientists and engineers are developing bionic eyes to help blind people see. In 1000 years, merging with technology may be the only way for humanity to compete with artificial intelligence.

6. Mass extinction.

The last mass extinction wiped out the dinosaurs. A recent study found that the extinction rate for species in the 20th century was up to 100 times higher than it would normally be without human impact. According to some scientists, only a gradual decline in population can help civilization survive.

7. We will all speak the same global language.

The main factor most likely to lead to a universal language is the ordering of languages. Linguists predict that 90% of languages ​​will disappear in 100 years due to migration, and the rest will become simplified.

8. Nanotechnology will solve the energy and pollution crisis.

In 1000 years, nanotechnology will be able to eliminate environmental damage, purify water and air, and harness the energy of the sun.

Man has long been attracted to the cosmic universe. He was attracted by the mysterious unknown, he longed to know all its secrets. At first he explained all the cosmic mysteries with fantasies, then he decided to study them carefully.

How far have we advanced in the development of "other worlds"? This question causes a lot of controversy. Mankind, despite all the achievements, still does not know the answers to many questions. But today, thanks to telescopes and modern developments, one can not only admire the expanses of the starry sky, but also observe the birth of new stars, determine the speed of movement of cosmic bodies, study the laws of physics, and determine the distance between certain celestial bodies.

Is it possible to predict the future of the Universe and, in particular, the Earth? Let's try to do it!

What will change in 1 million years in our galaxy?

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest and largest stars in our galaxy. It is located about 640 light stars from our planet and is as much as 20 times larger than the Sun! However, it can be called the "cosmic old lady", and scientists suggest that this bright star will soon end its existence. This may have already happened, but given that the explosion of Betelgeuse on Earth will be noticed only after 640 light years, we are unlikely to know about it.

Troubled time on Earth will come in 1.5 million years

An orange dwarf called Gliese 710 is 40% lighter than the Sun and lies 64 light-years from Earth. Scientists believe that this star can destroy icy comets that are in the Oort cloud (at the edge of our solar system). This situation was simulated in the astronomical observatory of St. Petersburg; it was concluded that Gliese 710 could be dangerous for us, as it would pass only half a parsec from the Sun. Moreover, the probability of this is estimated at 86%!

8 million years: The red planet will gain rings or die

Phobos is a satellite of Mars that orbits the planet at the lowest distance than any other in the solar system. Therefore, Phobos makes a complete revolution around Mars earlier than around its own axis. Scientists predict that in 8 million years, a short orbital period and such a close location of the satellite to the Red Planet will lead to the fact that Phobos will either fall apart and form a set of rings around Mars, or simply crash into it. The latter scenario is sure to disappoint those who hope to find life on Mars and move there when the earth becomes very bad.

1 billion years: Earth will become uninhabitable

Understanding people predict that in 1 billion years the solar luminosity will become 10% higher than the current value, which means that the global temperature of the Earth's surface will not be lower than 47 C. A greenhouse effect will occur in the atmosphere, as a result of which all the oceans will dry up, and all the living will die. Scientists say that this scenario is inevitable: if the greenhouse effect does not overtake us in 1 billion years, then it will happen in 3-4 billion years, when the luminosity of the Sun will be 40% higher than the current value. Fortunately, we still have a lot of time to enjoy life on our beautiful Green planet to the fullest! Or find yourself a new home!