Across cultures, stories of apocalypse convey a fear of Earth's finality, echoed by scientific speculations on the Sun's future. In approximately two billion years, Earth's increasing temperature due to the Sun's brightness will render it unlivable. Ultimately, in five or six billion years, the Sun will become a red giant, expanding significantly and potentially engulfing Mercury and Venus. The uncertainty surrounding Earth's fate stems from small changes in distance within the engulfment radius, leading to unpredictability in determining whether Earth will face complete engulfment or merely extreme conditions.
Imagining the end of the world is a timeless tradition. Myths and stories about the apocalypse are found across cultures, foretelling a day when Earth as we know it will no longer exist.
Despite prognostications, the specific fate of Earth remains a source of speculation. The Sun, a main-sequence star, is gradually becoming brighter and hotter, which will eventually dehydrate Earth and render it uninhabitable in about two billion years.
Mercury and Venus will definitely be swallowed by the Sun as it balloons in size, but it's unclear whether the Earth will be engulfed or merely flame-broiled into an unrecognizable lifeless husk.
The boundary between outside the engulfment radius and engulfment is only a few percent in distance. Small uncertainties make it impossible to confidently predict the fate of our planet.
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