• Question: How long do the scientists think the sun will last?

    Asked by niamh to Eoin on 19 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Eoin Carley

      Eoin Carley answered on 19 Nov 2014:


      Hi Niamh. The sun is currently 5 billion years old, and best estimate now is that it will last for another 5 billion years. We are living in the time of a middle-aged sun 🙂

      It’s good to remember that not all stars last this long. A rule of thumb you should remember is the bigger and brighter the star is, the quicker it explodes. Bigger stars gobble up there fuel much faster than small stars like our sun. Burn fast, die young!

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