Survival of Earth: Life Beyond the Sun’s Demise

Astronomers have discovered the first rocky planet orbiting a white dwarf, giving insights into the potential future of Earth. Despite the star's death, the planet remains, illustrating that Earth might also survive when the sun becomes a white dwarf, though it would become a cold, desolate place.

Astronomers have spotted the first rocky planet orbiting a white dwarf, providing a preview of what might be in store for Earth billions of years from now. This finding suggests that our planet might survive the death of the sun, although it would become a cold and desolate outpost.

The rocky planet, almost twice as massive as Earth, orbits a white dwarf about 4,200 light-years from our solar system near the Milky Way's central bulge. White dwarfs are the remnants of stars with masses less than eight times that of the sun, which end their lives by shedding their outer layers and leaving behind a dense core.

Initially, the planet may have existed in the habitable zone of its host star, but now, as the white dwarf is far fainter, it's a freezing world. This discovery has sparked new debates about Earth's fate; while models disagree whether Earth will be engulfed during the sun's red giant phase, the survival of this distant planet offers hope. Astronomers suggest humanity will need to migrate outward in the solar system within a billion years to survive.

(With inputs from agencies.)