Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#1

Post by luke7711 » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 11:59 AM UTC

In about 5 billion years, our Sun will turn into a white dwarf, and life on Earth will not survive the death of the Sun, but in 600 000 000 years, conditions on Earth will not allow supporting life as we know it, mainly due to increased solar radiation, as a result of which water on Earth will evaporate and our atmosphere will be blown out into space by the solar wind.

I'm a little bit worried about all of human civilization.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#2

Post by spreeker » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:06 PM UTC

war and climate change will do the job must faster on out current trajectory. Look at the CO2 levels! At 1000 ppm CO2 out brains functions less good. 1900 CO2 was 200ppm now well over 440 ppm and accelerating!

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#3

Post by vortegne » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:16 PM UTC

I don't think there's a chance that humanity survives 600k years

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#4

Post by InfamousRece » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:17 PM UTC

It’s 600 million years not 600 thousand. Big difference. Species usually do not last that long so there is no reason to believe any humans will exist at that time.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#5

Post by mixermachine » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:20 PM UTC

There are many other things that will get us first. War, societal unrest, toxins, CO2, climate change, ...

Maybe there is a big meteor that resets everything, already hat that once :D. The sun burning out is so far off, my grand, grand, grand, grand, grand, ..., grand kids are still fine in that aspect.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#6

Post by ryannevius » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:22 PM UTC

At the root of it all, humans are just part of a larger, enduring tapestry of existence. We arose out of it, and we'll be absorbed back into it.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#7

Post by the_gipsy » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:22 PM UTC

You should worry more about your own death?

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#8

Post by JojoFatsani » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:22 PM UTC

It’s just you.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#9

Post by beardyw » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:26 PM UTC

the_gipsy wrote: post #7

You should worry more about your own death?

As humans our death is as inevitable as that of the sun. Too few people come to terms with the fact that they will die. Learn to make use of the time you have.

Sorry, perhaps took your remark out of context, but the fact remains.

Re: Ask HN: Does anyone feel anxious about the Sun's death or is it just me?

#10

Post by zecg » Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 12:26 PM UTC

My dude, relax. We're past 1.5°C warming, the Atlantic current is shutting down, the forests in the southern hemisphere are burning, the sea is acidifying, the insects are down to a quarter of biomass pre-industrial revolution, the corals are bleached, the species are either dying or happening upon niches where they'll wreak havok as invasives and we have a huge increase in methane being added to deal with. Also, WW3 is just around the corner and it might be nuclear.