13 October 2026Science

Study shortens timeline for the end of some outer planets to about 1 billion years

A new study puts the end of some outer planets at roughly 1 billion years, not a quintillion.

Comparison of the Sun's current size to its projected Red Giant size. — Comparison of Sun's current size to its projected size at Red Giant stage. Oona Räisänen via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

New research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests the final curtain for some of the outer planets will arrive much sooner than previously thought. The study shrinks the timeline from a quintillion years to roughly 1 billion years.

Estimates of how the end of the solar system will look vary widely, once the Sun sheds much of its mass and ultimately dies.

Artist's impression of the red giant Sun from Titan. — Artist's impression of red giant Sun from Titan in 6-7,6 billion years from now. Юрий Д.К. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sourcephys.org

Get the day in space before breakfast.