The Sun Will Expand to 300 Times Its Current Size

Scientists have discovered that, far in the future, our Sun will go through a massive transformation! Right now, it's a stable star in the middle of its life, but billions of years from now, it will start to run out of fuel. As this happens, it’ll expand into what’s called a "red giant," growing up to 300 times its current size! This means it could become so big that it might swallow up the planets closest to it, like Mercury, Venus, and possibly even Earth. The Sun’s outer layers will drift away, creating a beautiful shell of glowing gas called a planetary nebula. Eventually, it’ll shrink back down to a small, cool star called a white dwarf, ending its long life as a faint point of light.