When tackling heated debates regarding the ever-changing climate, global warming, the greenhouse effect and other changes associated with the earth, some are left wondering “what do these changes have to do with me” or “how will this effect me in the long run?”
There are numerous theories evolving around the changes of the Earth. Some believe that a great freezing will take over the world, while some believe intense temperatures will destroy the world, while others feel that the resources on Earth will disappear before any other changes can take place. Many theories have been developed regarding these changes.
First, there are those that believe that the Earth will be eliminated by direct contact with the Sun. Some predict it will take about seven billion years for this to occur, but with a dwindling fuel supply, this may contribute to an increase in the time it will take to happen. The Sun is thought to increase to enormous proportions, affecting the temperatures of the Earth. High temperatures will be the result. The calculations of the Earth’s demise come from the study of other medium stars similar to the Sun, which are close to elimination. As the Sun dies, the Earth will become virtually incinerated. Now, that is a scary thought.
If combusting into a flaming ball of fire is not your idea of a good time, then how do you feel about icy temperatures that even a penguin refuses to deal with. To avoid the planet being burned to a crisp by the Sun, it will have to lose about 20% of its mass in its earlier stages of existence. Scientists do not feel that this is a likely scenario to occur. If the Sun loses this mass, then Earth will escape that bleak end described above because it will move into a larger orbit. The present orbit that the Earth is in right now is on track for orbital disaster. This is not the only other way that Earth could survive this predicted fate.
Some scientists have found that planets that evolve around other stars sometimes follow a different path, which calls for an oddly arranged orbit. This is often caused by a change in gravity, which is most likely caused by a passing star. If a passing star were to interfere with the current orbit of Earth, the Sun will not be able to crash into the planet. This would have to occur within the next 3 ½ billion years. It may sound like a lot of time, but this is nothing compared to the changes in the solar system. Plus, this is of importance only if the resources around the world are still intact. A group of researchers at the NASA Ames Research Laboratory figured that the chance of this happening was 1 in 100,000.
This change in the orbit of the Earth does not come with repercussions. It is predicted that the oceans would probably freeze as a result after a million of years. Life forms living within hydrothermal vents or other internal energy options will be able to survive for close to 30 billion years. This orbital change would also result in longer life for those flourishing on the planet.