Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Sun just suddenly stopped shining? The first thing that probably comes to your mind is that it would 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 eminent demise.
In the first few minutes after the Sun stops burning, life goes on as usual here on Earth because the sunlight itself is still traveling towards the planet. But after 8½ minutes, the skies go black, as if someone just flipped a switch. After an hour, once everybody has realized the situation they’re in, panic ensues on the side of the planet where it's supposed to be daytime. The temperature across the globe drops by several degrees and just keeps going down. One of the worst things is that photosynthesis stops within 24 hours.
Within a week or so, the average temperature on the planet falls below zero. Most plants have already perished due to the cold, and heat-loving animals start to disappear shortly after. 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.
After just one year, the planet might host some types of bacteria that can survive even in unbelievably low temperatures. But other life forms on the surface have been wiped away.
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.
TIMESTAMPS
The first minutes after the Sun stops burning 0:54
An hour after the Sun went out 2:21
A day after the Sun went out 3:27
A week after the Sun went out 4:14
A year after the Sun went out 5:36
What happens to planet Earth itself? 6:26
The real future of the Earth 8:35
SUMMARY
Summary:
-8½ minutes after the Sun stopped burning, the whole entire planet would be plunged into darkness. You wouldn’t see the Moon either since there’d be no sunlight for it to reflect.
-An hour after the Sun went out, people would start to fall into the depths of depression. The temperature across the globe would drop by several degrees and keep going down.
-If the Sun didn’t return after one day, the planet would fall in utter chaos. Every living creature on Earth would start having difficulties due to the diminishing oxygen.
-A week after the Sun went out, the temperature all over the world would drop below zero. Most plants would have already perished due to the cold, and heat-loving animals would start to disappear shortly after. People would build shelters and try to survive the cold and lack of food.
-After a year without the Sun, the surface of the Earth would become as cold as 100° below zero. The top layers of the seas and oceans would have frozen over by this time, the only survivors among people (if any) would be on the ocean floor, near geothermal vents. There would be no life on the planet.
-If the Sun stopped burning, its gravitational pull would vanish, and the Earth would fly away into outer space at the same speed. After 43,000 years, the Earth would near Alpha Centauri, the closest star to us.
-As for the real future of the Earth, it’ll stay firmly “tied” to the Sun that will increase in size in several billion years. Hopefully by that time humanity will have found ways to explore and colonize other planets orbiting younger stars.