The Sun's imminent explosion tomorrow.

Imagine if tomorrow, the Sun were to explode, that radiant star at the heart of our solar system. This colossal ball of scorching plasma, responsible for providing us with warmth, energy, and even flawless complexions, is actually a ticking time bomb. The Sun, approximately 10 billion years old, is expected to endure for another 5 billion years. However, its fate awaits as an impending red giant, expanding before eventually shrinking into a white dwarf—a dying star that will cool over billions of years.

Although none of us will witness these remarkable events, just ponder the spectacle of witnessing the Sun detonate before our very eyes. With a name like "supernova," one would envision the most magnificent fireworks display ever witnessed by humanity. In reality, though, it is highly unlikely we would see anything at all. The Sun resides a staggering 150 million kilometers away from Earth, and it takes a mere 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to our planet. While this distance might seem immense, in terms of supernovae, we are not even remotely far enough. To ensure Earth's complete safety from a supernova, we would need to be situated at least 50 to 100 light years away.

Nonetheless, there is a silver lining. If the Sun were to explode tomorrow, the resulting shock wave would not possess the strength to obliterate our entire planet. Only the side facing the Sun would be engulfed in boiling destruction, while the fortuitous other half would experience a scorching temperature 15 times hotter than the Sun's current surface. Yet, permanent darkness would shroud the planet, and without the Sun's gravitational force to maintain our orbit, Earth would likely drift aimlessly into space. The remaining inhabitants would desperately struggle to survive. Conceivably, our planet could eventually gravitate toward another star and find a new source of light and heat, akin to our beloved Sun. However, this would transpire long after we have passed from existence.

If we possessed advance knowledge of the Sun's imminent explosion, we might buy ourselves up to 1000 years of preparation time, provided we had the necessary resources to sustain us. Civilization could retreat beneath the ground, where the Earth maintains an average temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius. By constructing an extensive network of fortified bunkers, life might persevere. Within a week following the explosion, surface temperatures on Earth would plummet to a bone-chilling minus 18 degrees Celsius. Within a year, temperatures would dive further to approximately minus 73 degrees Celsius, causing the oceans to freeze from the top down. Over the course of 1,000 years, Earth's atmosphere would freeze and collapse, leaving anything on the surface exposed to cosmic radiation and meteor impacts. By that point, we would ideally have discovered a new home.

Here's some good news: if and when the Sun does explode, it will not occur suddenly. Instead, it will be a protracted, gradual process unfolding over billions of years. The Sun will grow hotter and brighter, commencing its expansion. During this phase, it will shed its outer layers into the cosmos, giving rise to the formation of new stars and planets—similar to how the magnificent burst of the Big Bang brought forth our own Earth. Who knows, perhaps new life forms may emerge. Can you imagine an alternate Earth teeming with a fresh humanoid species? It is challenging to forecast how our galaxy will appear billions of years from now, particularly without our solar system's magnificent golden anchor that binds us together. Yet, in the remote future, the Sun's expansion and subsequent contraction may pave the way for a new star to assume its rightful place. If, against all odds, humanity endures until then, one can only wonder: where might we find ourselves dwelling?