How old is the Sun? What will happen when the Sun turns into a nebula?

The Sun will not turn into a nebula. But, the Sun was formed from a nebula over 4 billion years ago. A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas (often called "gust"). If enough of this dust and gas come together, a star can form inside a nebula.

The Sun seems very old. But it is only halfway through its life. In a very long time, the Sun will come to the end of its life. It will begin to change then.

The Sun will get much bigger. It will be a red giant star. The Sun will be so big that it will cover Mercury and Venus. The Earth will be too hot for any life to stay on the planet. So if humans are around then, they might have to camp out on Pluto for a little while.

At the very end of its life, the Sun is likely blow off some of its layers. It will then shrink a lot, becoming a cooler white dwarf star.

How old is the Sun? What will happen when the Sun turns into a nebula?

The Sun was actually FORMED from a nebula over 4 and a half billion years ago. A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas (often called "gust"). If enough of this dust and gas gather together, a star can form inside a nebula.

The Sun is now halfway through its life span. So in another 5 billion years, the Sun might begin to change. The Sun will expand, becoming a red giant. The Sun will be so big that it will engulf Mercury, while Venus will probably orbit just outside of the Sun's surface. The Earth will be scorched at this point, leaving the planet unsuitable for life. Pluto, in fact, would be the only planet suitable for any life in the solar system.

At the very end of its life cycle, the Sun is likely blow off its outermost layers. It will then shrink to the size of the Earth, becoming a cooler white dwarf star.

How old is the Sun? What will happen when the Sun turns into a nebula?

The Sun was actually FORMED from a nebula over 4 and a half billion years ago. A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas. If enough of this dust and gas gather together, a star can form inside a nebula.

The Sun is now halfway through its life span. So in another 5 billion years, the Sun might begin to experience some changes. The Sun will expand to be several times its current size, becoming a red giant. Its effect on the terrestial planets will be devastating. The Sun will engulf Mercury, while Venus will probably orbit just outside the solar surface. The Earth will be scorched at this point, leaving the planet unsuitable for life. Pluto, in fact, would probably be the only planet suitable for any life in the solar system.

Because of its smallish size (compared with other stars), it is not likely that the Sun will undergo a supernova explosion. This type of explosion would create the aforementioned nebula. At the very end of its life cycle, the Sun will likely blow off only its outermost layers and shrink to the size of the Earth, becoming a cooler white dwarf star.

Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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