The end of the world has a date, according to there are several scientific theories and speculations about how the end of the world might occur. Among the most widespread, there is the belief that the end of the world will be caused by global warming and climate change.
The continuous accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could cause a drastic increase in global temperature, changes in weather patterns, the melting of polar ice caps, and the rise in sea level. These changes could have devastating effects on ecosystems and life on Earth
In the same vein, there are those who bet on the hypothesis that the end of the world will occur due to a depletion of natural resources, such as drinking water, fossil fuels, or minerals, could have serious consequences for human society. If sustainable and alternative solutions are not found in time, resource scarcity could trigger large-scale social conflicts and collapses.
After the covid-19 epidemic that has ravaged the Earth, many others bet that the end of the world will come from a global pandemic. Highly contagious and deadly diseases have the potential to spread rapidly around the world. If a pandemic were severe enough and not adequately controlled, it could have a devastating impact on the human population and on social and economic infrastructures.
The option of a natural catastrophe is also the bet of many. It can come in the form of a large asteroid impact on Earth. Such an impact could generate a large explosion, cause massive earthquakes, generate tsunamis, and throw a large amount of dust and debris into the atmosphere, which could alter the global climate and have catastrophic consequences.
Or from the eruption of a supervolcano, which would release huge amounts of ash, gases, and lava. This could cause significant climate changes, block sunlight, alter ecosystems, and affect food production, which could have a large-scale impact on life on Earth.
However, in early May and for the first time, scientists have captured a star swallowing a planet. It was not just a bite, but a big bite.
The astronomers made public their observations of what appeared to be a gas giant the size of Jupiter or larger being swallowed by its star. The star, similar to the sun, had been swelling for eons due to old age and, finally, grew so much that it swallowed the planet.
And that is what these scientists believe will happen to the Earth when our sun turns into a red giant and swallows the four planets closest to it.
Although there have been previous indications of other stars gobbling up planets and their digestive aftermath, this was the first time a planet was observed being swallowed, according to the study published in the journal ‘Nature’.
“If it’s any consolation, this will happen in about 5,000 million years”, assured the co-author of the study Morgan MacLeod, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
This galactic feast occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, near the constellation of Aquila, when the star was about 10,000 million years old. As the star nibbled on the planet, there was a burst of light, followed by a long-lasting dust stream that shone brightly in cold infrared energy, the researchers noted.
Although there have been previous indications of other stars gobbling up planets and their digestive aftermath, this was the first time a planet was observed being swallowed, according to the study published in the journal ‘Nature’.
Now that they know what to look for, researchers will be on the lookout for more cosmic feasts. They suspect that thousands of planets around other stars will suffer the same fate as this one and, over time, also our solar system.
