Global warming, asteroids, ozone holes - our planet is constantly under threat. What cataclysms will happen on Earth in the future and how will it die? Let's turn to the experts.
Apophis 99942 (2029)
The current headache for astronomers is the asteroid Apophis 99942, which today poses the greatest danger to the Earth. An unexpected guest, according to NASA researchers, the planet should be expected in 2029. The weight of the asteroid is 46 million tons, and its diameter is about half a kilometer. According to NASA forecasts, if this "baby" collides with our planet, it will cause a catastrophe, in comparison with which, the cataclysms that destroyed the dinosaurs will seem like a mere trifle.
According to 2009 data, the threat of disaster is 1 in 250 thousand. No reason to panic? You are wrong, such a figure by cosmic standards is quite a significant indicator. In addition, according to William Eudor, a member of the NASA working group, this is the first time the authorities have shown an interest in asteroids.
Water World (3000)
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If mankind does not get it from the impending cosmic threat, then civilization will be destroyed by the well-known global warming. True, “destroy” is a strong saying. It's just that we will live in the "water world", just like in an old Hollywood movie by Kevin Coster. Scientists predict that in a thousand years the temperature may rise by 15 degrees Celsius, and the sea level will rise by more than 11 meters. At the same time, the inhabitants of the ocean will also have a hard time - the level of acidity in the water will increase, which will lead to the mass extinction of species.
Fortunately, the dire predictions can still be avoided, says Tim Lenton, head of the global warming study. But for this, humanity will have to urgently reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and moderate its greed in the use of resources.
Gamma radiation (600 million years)
And yet there are cataclysms that a person cannot avoid. True, fortunately, such a catastrophe will not happen soon, but in 600 million years. The fact is that the Earth will have to face an unprecedentedly powerful stream of gamma rays, which will be ejected by the Sun. This will create huge ozone holes, or rather destroy a good half of the Earth's ozone layer. The consequences are obvious - the transformation of our planet into a desert and the mass extinction of all living organisms. For example, one of the largest extinctions in the entire history of the planet - the Ordovician-Silurian extinction, which occurred 450 million years ago, according to one version, was the result of a gamma-ray burst from a supernova located six thousand light years from Earth.
New Venus (1 billion - 3.5 billion years)
Before the planet has time to recover from the next "sunstroke", the star will bring her a new surprise. Scientists predict that in about 1 billion years the sun will begin its transformation into a red giant and all life on Earth will gradually be "burned out". After a while, the Earth will turn into the second Venus, where the temperature has reached the boiling point of toxic metals, turning the entire planet into a poisonous wasteland. Scientists made such a conclusion on the basis of observations of the dying planets (KOI 55.01 and KOI 55.02) as part of the distant red giant KIC 05807616. By the way, Mars, which will be in the habitable zone, may become salvation for humanity, if it still exists.
Core (5 billion years)
The continuation of the story of two doomed planets, according to the Corriere della Sera: "does not cause enthusiasm among astronomers." Scientists managed to see what was left of the two planets as a result of the expansion of their "Sun". From them only the nuclei remained. According to NASA, the same will happen with our planet in 5 billion years, although its death will happen much earlier. With the beginning of the transformation of our star, the solar wind will intensify, which will throw the Earth from its former orbit, which will lead to the disruption of all life processes. Earth is too small a planet to survive such a disaster, unlike Jupiter and Saturn, which, according to astronomers, have a better chance. But people should not worry, 5 billion years is almost an eternity. For comparison, the history of "Homo sapiens" is only 60 thousand years old.