Earth May Outlive the Sun: A Delicate Cosmic Tug-of-War Could Spare Our World
New stellar-evolution models and observations of a nearby dying star suggest Earth could survive the Sun’s giant phases if solar mass loss dominates over tidal forces, allowing Earth to move outward rather than be engulfed. Mercury and Venus are still expected to meet a fiery end, but the outcome hinges on how much mass the Sun will lose—an uncertainty researchers are currently trying to resolve, with future missions like PLATO expected to help. A Letter to the Editor in Astronomy & Astrophysics outlines these calculations and the remaining questions about Earth’s ultimate fate.