Gina Heslop
The end of life on Earth is no longer just a theory or a science fiction story.
According to NASA’s advanced studies, the timeline for life on our planet has been calculated, and while Earth itself still has billions of years left before it is swallowed by the Sun, the time remaining for the life-supporting biosphere is much shorter. The countdown, as NASA suggests, has already begun.
The fate of Earth is closely tied to the life cycle of the Sun. The Sun provides the energy that allows life to thrive, but as it ages, it will undergo changes that will eventually destroy our planet.
NASA explains that in around five billion years, the Sun will run out of its hydrogen fuel and expand into a red giant star. This expansion might even engulf Earth. However, the threat to life will come much sooner due to the Sun’s increasing brightness, which will lead to catastrophic changes to the climate.
Over time, the Sun becomes slightly hotter and brighter each year, causing Earth’s surface temperatures to rise. This gradual increase in temperature will trigger extreme environmental changes.
Heatwaves will become more intense, droughts will last longer, and eventually, the oceans will begin to evaporate. These changes will destabilize Earth’s ecosystems, making it harder for life to survive.
One of the most critical stages in this process is called the “moist runaway greenhouse effect.” As the Sun gets brighter, more water from the oceans will evaporate, filling the atmosphere with water vapor.
This vapor, a powerful greenhouse gas, will trap more heat, speeding up global warming. Earth’s climate will reach a point where it can no longer support life. The planet, once full of life, will become unbearably hot and desolate.
NASA estimates that life on Earth has about 1.5 billion years left. While that may seem like a long time, in the grand scale of the universe, it is very short.
As the moist runaway greenhouse effect takes over, Earth will become too hot for life. The oceans will boil away, the atmosphere will dry up, and the last traces of life will die out in the scorching heat.
In the final stages, Earth will look much like Venus, with surface temperatures soaring to extreme levels. The Sun, now a red giant, may eventually engulf Earth. Even if Earth survives this, it will be nothing more than a lifeless rock orbiting a dying star.
