In a previous experiment, scientists attempted to douse the Sun with water, but it backfired as the fuel made the Sun twice as massive and 16 times brighter. This was a grave mistake, as Earth is situated in the Sun’s habitable zone, also known as the “Goldilocks” zone – not too hot, not too cold, just right. Venus and Mars also fall within this zone, but Venus is a CO2-filled oven while Mars lacks liquid water.
Our Sun is a large, hot star, but if it were to shrink by half and become a “red dwarf” star, Earth would become significantly colder as it moves farther from the Sun’s influence. The orbit of Mercury would remain relatively unchanged, while gas giants like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune could potentially drift out of the solar system.
With a reduction in mass, the Sun’s luminosity would decrease significantly, impacting photosynthesis and all forms of life on Earth. Tidal forces would be disrupted, eventually leading to Earth becoming tidally locked with one side constantly facing the Sun. These changes may be concerning for now but will become irrelevant in the distant future as the Sun is expected to die in 5 to 10 billion years before transitioning into a red giant and then a white dwarf. This has been your Moment of Science by Dan Smith from WWSB.