Question: Will the sun ever die?

Iain Bethune answered on 17 Jun 2015:

Yes, all stars eventually run out of the ‘fuel’ that is being burned up in nuclear fusion reactions at the star’s core. Exactly what happens depends on the size of the star. In the sun’s case, it is expected to burn out in about 5 billion years, when all that will be left is a small (a few 1000 miles diameter), white dwarf star – much dimmer and cooler than today’s sun. Before that, as the sun’s Hydrogen fuel runs out, it will swell up, large enough to engulf the earth.

So we need to find a way to get out of the solar system before that happens!