What happens when the sun turns white?

The Sun will never fuse carbon however, instead it will shed its outer layers forming a planetary nebula. Once things calm down, a small sparkling jewel of a white dwarf star will remain. This tiny remnant will have a mass of around half that of our present Sun, but will be the size of the Earth.

What happens to a white dwarf?

Over a very long time, a white dwarf will cool and its material will begin to crystallize, starting with the core. The star’s low temperature means it will no longer emit significant heat or light, and it will become a cold black dwarf.

What happens when the sun becomes a white dwarf?

The immensely high pressures and temperatures in its interior will slacken. The sun will shrink down to become a dying ember of a star, known as a white dwarf, only a little larger than Earth. Artist’s concept of our sun as a white dwarf.

What will happen to the Sun when it dies?

With its thermonuclear fuel gone, the sun will no longer be able to shine. The immensely high pressures and temperatures in its interior will slacken. The sun will shrink down to become a dying ember of a star, known as a white dwarf, only a little larger than Earth. Artist’s concept of our sun as a white dwarf.

Are there any white dwarfs similar to the Solar System?

Debes is able to use his model to compare observations of known dusty white dwarfs with the simulated outcome of the Solar System. With reference to previous studies (in particularly Koester & Wilken, 2006 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics), Debes has found some similar white dwarf “Suns”.

What happens to the Solar System when the Sun stops fusion?

After the Sun has stopped hydrogen fusion in its core, it loses mass as it sheds its outer layers after the red giant phase and subsequent planetary nebula formation. It is estimated that the Sun will lose about 50\% of its mass during this time, naturally affecting the Solar System as a whole.