What will happen if the sun goes out: apocalypse or a new life?

Everyone understands that life on the planet Earth can not be imagined without the main source of light shining in the sky - the Sun. It is thanks to him that the planets rotate on their axis. It was thanks to the Sun that life appeared on the Earth.

Since ancient times, people have been thinking about the question: what happens if the sun goes out? Scientists put forward their own versions, filmmakers repeatedly shoot films on this topic. What will happen to mankind, and all the living world on Earth?

Why can the sun go out?

The power of radiation, which falls from the Sun to Earth, is equal to 170 trillion kW. In addition, energy is dispersed into space 2 billion times more. The theory of relativity says: the energy expenditure affects the loss of mass.

Every minute the Sun loses 240 million tons in weight. Scientists have calculated that the life span of the Sun is 10 billion years.

So how much time is left? Scientists suggest that exactly half the allotted time, that is, 5 billion years.

What then? And if the sun goes out, what will happen to the Earth? Regarding this global issue, there are many opinions and disputes. Below are just a few of them.

Eternal darkness

If in a completely isolated room to extinguish the light source, then complete darkness will come. And what happens if the sun goes out? Same.

At first glance, for humanity this is not entirely dangerous. After all, people invented other sources of light. But how long will it last? But the cessation of the sun's rays will be detrimental to the plants. And literally in a week they will all perish. As a consequence, photosynthesis and the process of producing oxygen on the Earth will stop.

Loss of gravity

The sun is a kind of magnet. Due to its attraction, the eight planets of the solar system do not move chaotically, but strictly along the axes around the center. And what happens if the sun suddenly goes out? All of them, having lost the force of attraction, will begin to arbitrarily travel across the vast expanses of the galaxy.

For the Earth this, most likely, can lead to tragic consequences. After all, a collision with even a small space object, not to mention another planet, can simply tear it apart. Does this mean that if the Sun goes out, the Earth will perish? But among the scientists there are also optimists who claim that the earth can survive. But such an option is possible in the event that it enters the Milky Way, where it will find a new star and, correspondingly, a new orbit.

Termination of life

As already noted, life can not be imagined without sunlight and heat. So what happens if the sun goes out? The first to suffer are plants. They will disappear literally within the first week. Only large trees can still exist for some time thanks to sucrose reserves. Then, having lost the source of food, first the herbivores, and then the predators, will perish. In addition, the disappearance of plants will stop the production of oxygen, which will further accelerate the extinction of living organisms on Earth. Advantage is the inhabitants of the depths of the ocean. First, they do not need light, because they are accustomed to constant darkness. Secondly, they are less dependent on oxygen, as they do not need to surface, as most species of fish do.

But completely life on earth will not die. There are known cases of survival of some species (for example, cockroaches) even after the most global changes. Some microorganisms will continue to exist for many hundreds or even thousands of years. Perhaps in the future they will be the beginning of a new life on earth.

The foggy future for man

It has been proved many times that people adapt to different conditions. And what happens if the sun goes out? Evolving, humanity has learned to create other sources of light. For a while they will be enough.

In addition, you can use the energy of the earth, including volcanoes. Already, residents of Iceland use geothermal energy to heat their homes. And without sources of food a person can survive. First, because of his stamina. Secondly, due to the fact that he himself learned to create food.

The next glacial period

As is known from history, the Earth has already experienced glacial periods. But they do not go to any comparison with the one that will come after the sun goes out. According to the theory of scientists, literally over a week the temperature in all corners of the globe will drop to minus 17 degrees Celsius. After a year, it will drop to a point of minus 40. Initially, ice will cover the land, especially those areas that are located far from the water.

Then the ice cap will cover all the seas and oceans. However, ice will be in some sense a heater for water at depth, so the seas and oceans will completely turn into ice only after hundreds of thousands of years.

So is it really so sad, is humanity doomed?

This question is difficult to give a positive or negative answer. Uniquely, only that life will change dramatically. If the Earth is lucky not to collide with the cosmic body and it will remain intact and intact, this does not mean that its inhabitants will survive. Plants and animals will eventually cease to exist. And what about people? They will have to adapt to new conditions: complete darkness, lack of natural food, constant cold. You can still get used to this. But because of the lack of oxygen in the air, the future of mankind is under threat. Save only the creation of alternative sources.

So what happens if the sun goes out? The whole solar system is awaited by fundamental changes. The only good news is that they will come, most likely, only in 5 billion years.