• Question: Are we getting a bit closer to the sun every year?

    Asked by fional to Douglas on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Douglas Blane

      Douglas Blane answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Very very slowly because of a slight loss of energy due to gravitational waves. It won’t make any difference you would notice.

      What will happen though is that the sun, near the end of its life, will grow huge and come out to swallow up the earth.

      It’s called becoming a red giant. But it won’t happen for another 6 thousand million years.

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