All right, let's all ponder this one : What if the Sun went out one day ? A lot of us take the Sun for granted. On sunny days, we complain that it's too hot ! Yet, when it's raining for days on end, we miss that big old ball of burning gas. But have you ever wondered what would happen, if the Sun, just, suddenly stopped shining? Well the first thing that probably comes to your mind, is that it will get a whole lot darker and colder. True, but that doesn't even begin to describe what kind of catastrophic event it would be. Because eventually, humankind would meet its imminent demise. Aren't you glad this is called the bright side ? Well, just for fun, this is what some scientists think would probably happen,. So get your flashlights out... In the first few minutes after the Sun stops burning, life goes on as usual here on earth, because the sunlight itself is still travelling toward the planet. But after eight and a half minutes, the skies go black, as if someone just flipped a switch ! The whole entire planet is plunged into darkness. Families enjoying a nice picnic in the park, beachgoers basking in the warm Sun, anyone out for a midday stroll, feels especially shocked and terrified. But no matter what hemisphere you're in, it's now the dead of night. everywhere across the globe. And forget about moonlight. You can't see the moon now since there's no sunlight for it to reflect ! No Sun, no moon ! Now, all you see is billions of stars, shining in the sky, since the light coming from the Sun can't outshine them. Just imagine looking at your watch, seeing 3 p.m., in the middle of the day, yet a night full of stars ! What's more, the disappearance of the Sun sets off changes and disturbances in the Earth's ionosphere and magnetic field. As a result, the blanket of darkness may be disrupted by the aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights. So far, other planets are still visible in the sky. For example, we can still see Jupiter for another hour or so, because this is how long it takes the remaining sunlight to bounce off Jupiter and return to Earth. After an hour, once everybody has realized the situation they're in, people settle down to enjoy the peace and quiet. n'yeah, panic ensues on the side that the planet were supposed to be daytime. And it's not just hysteria. People also feel incredibly sad, and that's because natural sunlight works as a mood enhancer. So devoid of this, people start to fall into the depths of depression; on the flip side, there's money to be made selling tranquilizers. But it's not all good news. There are some power outages that cause problems with communication systems. Solar panels are now rendered obsolete. But overall, electricity continues to function, and cities remain lit up, until the power goes out for good. The temperature across the globe, drops by several degrees, and just keeps going down. There's no sunlight to warm the surface of the planet, but the Earth's molten core is still heating it from the inside. Plus the greenhouse effect, keeps the temperatures from dropping too drastically, at least within the first 24 hours. So a day has come and gone, and the Sun still hasn't returned. If it weren't for the bright side, the planet would be an utter chaos ! Authorities are at a loss, and have no control over the situation. Looting and mayhem replace civil society - not only because of the panic and confusion, but also because people feel safer committing crime in the dark. Oooh boy ! One of the worst things is that photosynthesis stops within 24 hours. It's by this very process, that plants produce oxygen, by taking in water, nutrients, light, and carbon dioxide. Quite soon, every living creature on earth starts having difficulties, due to the diminishing oxygen. It's probably time, to sell some of those energy stocks, you've been holding. In the next few days, the temperature falls by 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, It's about 41 degrees Fahrenheit all over the world. This causes, some heat dependent microorganisms and plants to die out. Within a week or so, the average temperature on the planet, falls below zero. Now you might be thinking , "yeah, no big deal. Lots of people live in areas where it's much colder in the winter. I mean, Siberia, anyone ?" But the problem is that the temperature keeps falling. Most plants have already perished, due to the cold, and heat loving animals start to disappear shortly after. My, isn't this a grim fairy tale ? Herbivores are the first to go, since their sources of food have vanished. Should'a been a meat-eater ! mm! *tsk* Scavengers feast on the dead remains, until the cold kills them, too. Nobody's a winner here. Big trees survived for a couple more decades, thanks to their significant sugar storages and slow metabolism. People build shelters and try to survive the cold and lack of food. They might be more successful in areas with a lot of geothermal activity, such as Iceland. Another way they try to survive is by going deep underground, where the internal heat of the planet is more intense. People might also construct isolated igloos and dome-shaped structures that effectively fight off the frost. After just one year, a very unhappy anniversary, the surface of the earth becomes as cold as 100 degrees below zero ! At this point, the planet might host some types of bacteria that can survive, even in unbelievably cold temperatures. But other life forms, on the surface, have been wiped away. The top layers of the seas and oceans have frozen over by this time, which surprisingly enough, keeps the insides liquid for thousands of years to come. If any people managed to survive to this point, the only place they have a chance of making it is on the ocean floor, near geothermal vents, since they emit heat, welling up from the planet still-hot core. But even the ocean eventually freezes, after the temperature on the surface drops to four hundred degrees below zero. By this time, guess what ? There's no life on the planet. But what happens to the earth itself ? Well, for one thing, real-estate prices have fallen, so you can now, finally afford to live, in New York City, London, and San Francisco. Well, if you were alive... Now, normally the earth orbits the Sun, at an unbelievable speed of 67,000 miles per hour ! But if the Sun stops burning, its gravitational pull vanishes, and it no longer keeps the planets in their orbits. As a result, guess what ? The earth flies away into outer space at the same speed. To understand this better, imagine tying a small rock to a string and swinging it over your head in a circle. When you let it go, the rock flies away from you in a straight line, and probably hits that kid down to the corner. Ouch ! So this string is like the gravitational force that holds the earth in its orbit. Without this force, the planet will wander away. But unlike the rock that will slow down and fall to the ground because of gravity, in the vacuum of space, the earth will just keep going at speeds of 67,000 miles per hour. Buh-bye ! Chances are, that the earth will collide with a comete, an asteroid, or another planet. But if this doesn't happen, where will our planet end up ? After about 43,000 years, the earth will near Alpha Centauri, the closest star to us. In 1 billion years, it will have traveled 100,000 light-years. That's the entire length of the Milky Way galaxy. (You knew that). Of course, along the way, our planet can get pulled into a black hole. After all, there are over a billion black holes in the Milky Way alone. Or, it may find itself a new sun and join its solar system. In any case, if the sun just stops working, the future of our planet will turn into an exciting adventure across space. Unfortunately, none of us will be around to enjoy the ride. Now, wasn't that fun ? Just remember though : this scenario was just a hypothetical "what if?" As for the real future of the earth, It'll stay firmly "tied" to the sun. In several billion years, our beloved star will increase in size and turn into a red giant. It will consume Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Five billion years after that, the sun will implode upon itself, throwing off its outer layer, and leaving JUST a tiny dense core, turning our sun into a white dwarf. Hopefully by that time, humanity will have found ways to explore and colonize other planets orbiting younger stars. But if not, well... That's a terrifying scenario to imagine. Kind of puts being late to work into perspective now, doesn't it ? All right, what would be the hardest for you, if the sun suddenly went out ? The darkness, the cold, or the fear of the unknown ? Me ? I think it's gonna be really hard to get some good rye bread. Anyway, tell us in the comments below, and let's hope we won't ever have to find out. Share this eye-opening video with all your friends, and hit the like button if you were impressed. And don't forget that there are so many more amazing, and happier, videos on our channel. so click that red subscribe button, so you won't miss anything new, on the bright side of life.
That's not what would happen if the sun went out for just one day.
That's what would happen if the sun went permanently out.