• Question: How long will the planets of our solar system last?

    Asked by 565gdge33 to Jimi, Hayley, Chris on 17 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Jimi Wills

      Jimi Wills answered on 17 Mar 2016:


      In about 6 or 7 billioin years our sunh will become a red giant and swallow up the inner planets.

      After this… and I’m not sure exactly how long after… the sun will become a white dwarf… shedding its outer layers. The graviational pull on the outer planets will be less, so the outer planets will start driting out through the solar system. When they hit the asteroid belt, everything will probably get shredded.

    • Photo: Chris Conselice

      Chris Conselice answered on 17 Mar 2016:


      They’ll last as long as the Sun does, which is another 5 billion years before it becomes a red giant. The outer planets like uranus and nepture may even survive this in some form.

    • Photo: Hayley Moulding

      Hayley Moulding answered on 17 Mar 2016:


      For billions of years. We will be okay 😀 We need the Sun so as long as the Sun is around, we will all be just fine!

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