How
dying stars could turn frozen worlds into habitable planets
When most
stars reach old age*and begin to run out fuel, they swell up to hundreds of times their **rmal size, engulfing
planets that orbit too close. But can
planets that escape this fiery demise still support life? In this state, can
planets around the
dying star host life? New research says yes.
In about 7.5 billion years, the sun*will have begun its march to the grave and will start expanding. Eventually it will swell to about 200 times its current size. It will swallow Mercury and Venus, and make Earth uninhabitable. But currently frigid locations in the solar system, like the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, might become just the right temperature for life.
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More about
Sun,
Exoplanets,
Solar System,
Stars, and
Space