Question about our Sun

[shadow735]

So our Sun is supposed to become a white dwarf. The question I have is this.<br />Putting aside the fact that the sun will become a red giant and engulf the earth or burn it to a molten ball.<br />Lets say that some how we find a way to protect the planet (dont ask how but for my question to be answered lets assume the earth was protected while the sun was in the red giant stage)<br /><br />WHen the sun reached its white dwarf status, would we receave enough light or energy for life on the planet to survive? or would the green zone move, or would there be a greenzone at all? <br /><br />I was just wondering on this. can anyone answer this. <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hal9891]

Hi again<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />No Earth's life could not survive with the Sun becoming a white dwarf, even though white dwarfs are hotter than Sun they are much fainter (Sirius B is 360 times fainter than Sun, but has almost the same mass). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>

 

[nexium]

As a white dwarf. the surface area of our sun will decrease almost a million times, but the surface temperature will be about 1000 times hotter, so Earth should get about as much heat as now, however, the wave length of the photons is much shorter. The atmosphere should convert most of this radiation to safe longer wave lenghts, but the suface radiation will likely be dangerous, and there will not be much visable light, nor enough of the light needed for photosynthesis. So Earth will not be green zone at any distance, unless technology can somehow save the day. Neil

 

[hal9891]

Most white dwarfs have temperature from 8000K to 40000K not 6000000K<img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" /><br />Or I'm missing somethig here?<br /><br />And Sun's white dwarf is unlikely to radiate the same amount of energy as Sun radiates now (Sirius B evolved from a star much more massive than Sun and it still isn't as luminous). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>

 

[shadow735]

would the suns gravity be stronger or weaker? If say the technology existed to move the planet (thru some form of gravity fields) could we move it toward the sun?<br />Would there be any green zone left.<br />Also taking into account mercury and venus would have been consumed by the suns red giant phase how would that affect the earths orbit around the sun? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[origin]

If you look up on google 'life cycle of the sun' you can get all of your answers.<br /><br />The sun will begin to expand and heat up in ~1 billion years (I doubt anything resembling man will exist at that point) so you need to move the earth away from the sun.<br />Then the sun goes into a planetary nebula stage at this point you need a shroud to protect the earth. <br />Finally the sun shrinks to a much small (so the gravity is lower) cooler white dwarf so the earth must be moved closer to the sun.<br /><br />If the beings on earth at this time have the technology to drive the earth around like a golf cart then I imagine they would opt to simply move to another younger star system and terriform a planet if necessary.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Saiph]

There would be a greenzone, but earth would no longer be in it. The white dwarf is much hotter than our sun, and the UV would probably give everything cancer, but due to it's small size, it doesn't radiate as much light, meaning earth would freeze, unless you moved it much closer in. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Also taking into account mercury and venus would have been consumed by the suns red giant phase how would that affect the earths orbit around the sun?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Probably not as much as the fact that the Sun will have lost a considerable amount of mass (thus reducing its gravitational pull). Mercury and Venus do perturb the Earth's orbit, but the effect is small. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>