Researchers predict that the Sun will destroy our Solar System’s asteroid belt in six billion years.
A new study from the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (via Sci-News) predicts that when the Sun becomes a white dwarf, radiation from the star will be powerful enough to cause the asteroids in our Solar System to spin.
Eventually, the spin rate will become overwhelming, causing the asteroids to break into smaller pieces. Sci-News explained that the asteroids will continuously break apart into smaller pieces until the rocks become too small to be affected.
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The Sun will become a white dwarf after entering what scientists call the “branch phase,” which happens after a star has burned all of its hydrogen fuel. During the branch phase, stars become hundreds of times bigger, and thousands of times brighter. The radiation the star gives off during this time is what kicks off this process.
Scientists call this the YORP effect, and it is named after four of the scientists who helped develop this concept.
For more news in the world of science, read about how scientists have detected a strange radio signal coming from outer space. Or, read a new study that shows that salty, mineral-filled water could once be found on Mars.
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Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN’s weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
Source: IGN.com Researchers Predict Sun Will Destroy Asteroid Belt in Six Billion Years