Our Future
“Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever.”
– Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Picture the scene: you’re on the Solar System, 4 billion years into the future, the sun has become a red giant and has engulfed both Mercury and Venus, our pale blue dot, now having a mix between red and brown in appearance, is the next target. If you’re somehow still on Earth, you would need to be living in a bunker, far below ground, where the intense heat of the giant Sun would be dissipated, banning yourself to a life with no sunlight and freedom to see the world.
My love for astronomy started with my curiosity for the unknown. There is something mysterious about space that intrigues and attracts me. The possibility for an infinite universe, the strange orbit of the Dwarf Planets, and specially life in other worlds are topics that have always fascinated me. While I started growing older, however, something caught my attention: according to Hawking, we have 100 years to leave our planet. Even if the brilliant astrophysicist was wrong in 10-fold of his original prediction, something is certain, we will need to find a new home if we plan to thrive as a species.
Where should we go, then?
One unfortunate aspect of our Solar System is that the Sun, the main source of energy for the planets, is a Type-G, or yellow dwarf, star. That means that it has an extremely lower lifespan when compared to less massive stars, and thus, its main sequence phase will end earlier.
As the star reaches the end of its main sequence phase, it runs of out hydrogen to use as fuel, and it starts to try to burn heavier elements to produce energy. This results in the star growing and becoming more luminous, which then burns the closest objects to it.
This increase in luminosity expands the habitable zone, leaving Earth and the inner planets uninhabitable. The question is: What becomes livable in this situation? According to scientists at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the habitable zone of the Sun will lie at around 40-70 Astronomical units to the star. That is, 40-70 times the distance Earth is from the Sun. This is the distance that Neptune and dwarf planets are located. Neptune is a gas giant with no solid surface, so the big blue planet can be discarded. However, there is a dozen of smaller objects that will be at a perfect temperature and are very intriguing places for life:
One of the most interesting places that life could thrive during the giant sun is Pluto. While the dwarf planet is not known today for its habitability, it is theorized that the ex-planet has a sub-surface Ocean that could provide water for us in the future
Another possibility is the Planet 9 – while not discovered yet, scientists believe that there is another planet beyond the orbit of Neptune. This hypothetical behemoth could have a solid moon that would be able to support liquid water.
Looking beyond the Solar System
While the Solar System may contain a limited number of candidates for our future home, there is a number of exoplanets that could harbor life already discovered by science.
There are numerous possibilities for a future spot for humanity to thrive and progress as a species. These great and incredible amount of choices deserve their own post for each. While humanity will eventually need to leave our planet, there is an infinity of opportunities awaiting for us to find. I hope you liked my post and my brief description about my curiosity and my interest in the outer space.
Sources
https://futurism.com/stephen-hawking-humanity-only-has-100-years-left-on-earth-before-doomsday
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/trappist1/
https://public.nrao.edu/ask/will-our-solar-system-be-habitable-when-the-sun-becomes-a-red-giant/
Our future 