A team of astronomers has discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a star 4,000 light-years from the Solar System, potentially providing insight into Earth’s distant future. This rocky planet with a similar mass to Earth orbits a white dwarf in the constellation Sagittarius. The possibility of life on this planet has been observed. The discovery brings a ray of hope for Earth’s survival as our Sun enters its final phase.
This suggests that Earth could potentially avoid being consumed by the expanding Sun, potentially providing shelter for future generations of Saturn’s moons such as Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede.
See what this new planet looks like
What is a white dwarf?
A white dwarf is the remnant left after a star has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers. This symbolizes the end of the sun. As the Sun runs out of nuclear fuel, the Sun will turn into a red giant, then shrink into a white dwarf. The extent of its expansion will determine which planets in the solar system will be affected – Mercury and Venus are likely to be incinerated. But what will happen to the earth?
Will the earth end?
As the Sun expands into a red giant, its loss of mass will push the planets into more distant orbits. This event allows Earth to avoid destruction. “It’s unknown whether life would survive on Earth during that (red giant) period. But of course, the most important thing is that Earth is illuminated by the Sun,” said Jessica Lu, associate professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley. Don’t swallow until it becomes a giant red giant.”
“In any case, planet Earth will only be habitable for the next billion years, by which time Earth’s oceans will have evaporated from the greenhouse effect – long before it risks being swallowed up by the red giant sun.”
So can humanity find refuge beyond Earth?
As the Sun transforms into a red giant, the habitable zone in the Solar System will move outward into the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Many of their moons, such as Europa and Callisto, may be ocean worlds capable of supporting life. Before that humanity could migrate there.