How will the Solar System die?
This transformation will involve a violent process that will destroy an unknown number of its planets.
So which planets will survive the death of the Sun?
One way to seek the answer is to look at the fates of other similar planetary systems.
This has proven difficult, however.
This lack of data paints an incomplete picture of our own planetary fate.
Fortunately, we are now filling in the gaps.
When the Sun eventually becomes a red giant, its radius will actually reach outwards to Earths current orbit.
Jupiter, and its moons, have been expected to survive, although we previously didnt know for sure.
If so, that is additional evidence for assuming that Jupiter, and Mars, will make it.
So could any life survive this transformation?
After that, there wouldnt be enough radiation to sustain anything.
Hence, exoasteroids have been long assumed to be evidence that exoplanets are there too.
Our discovery finally confirms this.
The link between exoasteroids and exoplanets also applies to our own Solar System.
The gravity from the foreground star magnifies the light from the star behind it.
In a few years, astrometry from theGaia missionis expected to find about a dozen planets orbiting white dwarfs.
Perhaps these could offer better evidence as to exactly how the Solar System will die.
But for now, the newly discovered Jupiter-like exoplanet provides the clearest glimpse into our future.
