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Do I need to worry about the sun turning into a black hole? – Anonymous٫ age 7٫ Chicago٫ Illinois

Do I need to worry about the sun turning into a black hole? – Anonymous٫ age 7٫ Chicago٫ Illinois

At the end of their lifespans, some massive stars collapse under their own weight until they turn into a black hole that sucks up everything around it.

It’s a dramatic conclusion to a star’s billions of years of existence, but it’s not the finale that our own Sun will have. Our solar system’s star is not big enough to have that kind of outcome, so worrying about the Sun becoming a black hole doesn’t need to be on your list of anxieties. Whatever happens to the Sun will happen very slowly, over billions of years. By that time, you’ll be long gone. Humans might not be there to witness it at all.

As an astrophysicist, I am fascinated by black holes and how they form. The universe is filled with different kinds of stars, and each has a distinct tale to tell about its life.

Birth, life and death of a star

Just like humans, stars have a life cycle. A star is born when a giant gas cloud collapses in on itself and then grows, shining light by burning fuel.

In its core, the baby star fuses four atoms of hydrogen together to form the element helium, which releases energy in the form of starlight. This fuel-burning........

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