Could Earth Lose its Orbit and Face Destruction?

[jobyts]

Is there a scientific prediction on the death of earth. By death, I mean Earth loosing its orbit and crash into something else, or breaking into pieces by some earthly internal factors. Or the Earth is supposed to orbit as a single piece till the end of sun?

When the sun's gravitational numbers change (I'm guessing gravitational force would be different, say, when the sun turns into red giant) significantly, is one case that the Earth looses its orbit - that I can think of.

 

[JaredJames]

Nothing outside of the death of the sun as far as I'm aware. That occurs in circa 5 billion years.

 

[Evo]

Maybe, maybe not.

When Milky Way and Andromeda Collide, Earth Could Find Itself Far From Home

If Homo sapiens can stick it out on Earth for another two billion years, our descendants may witness quite a show in the night sky. Researchers estimate that the Milky Way will collide with its nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, at around that time—well before the sun collapses into a white dwarf, perhaps destroying the Earth in the process.

continued...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/a...collide-earth-could-find-itself-far-from-home

 

[JaredJames]

Maybe, maybe not.continued...

2 billion years! That soon? Not cool.

Bugger, had some really great plans for that final 3 billion.

 

[D H]

The end will occur well before that. The Sun produces ever more energy as it ages. In a billion years or so it will be 10% hotter than it is now. The oceans will boil and plate tectonics will end -- if that hasn't already happened. Plate tectonics may come to an end even sooner than that per some geologists. Even before that, photosynthesis will come to a halt as plants continue to deplete the atmosphere of CO₂. The Earth (life on Earth) has maybe half a billion years left -- according to some.

The nice thing about all of these dire predictions is that no one will be around to see whether there conjectures are falsified.

 

[JaredJames]

In a billion years or so it will be 10% hotter than it is now.

Wales might get a tidy summer for once!

The oceans will boil and plate tectonics will end -- if that hasn't already happened. Plate tectonics may come to an end even sooner than that per some geologists. Even before that, photosynthesis will come to a halt as plants continue to deplete the atmosphere of CO₂.

Might start looking for property on Mars...

The Earth (life on Earth) has maybe half a billion years left -- according to some.

You guys really don't want me to carry out the next 5 billion years of plans I've got.

The nice thing about all of these dire predictions is that no one will be around to see whether there conjectures are falsified.

Speak for yourself.

 

[Evo]

The end will occur well before that. The Sun produces ever more energy as it ages. In a billion years or so it will be 10% hotter than it is now. The oceans will boil and plate tectonics will end -- if that hasn't already happened. Plate tectonics may come to an end even sooner than that per some geologists. Even before that, photosynthesis will come to a halt as plants continue to deplete the atmosphere of CO₂. The Earth (life on Earth) has maybe half a billion years left -- according to some.

The nice thing about all of these dire predictions is that no one will be around to see whether there conjectures are falsified.

 

[Ilovemonty]

Lol... Hoax and plus I live in christchurch, nz I was there I witness people being crushed! I dnt believe in 2012

 

[E=ML^2]

Afaik, that 5 Ga number is what the consensus is regarding the future of the sun. As the sun progresses into its next stage that whole red giant thing is going to be the end of Earth. However, the chances that Earth will collide with anything when the Milky way and Andromeda will collide are relatively slim [lacking source to back-up claim] because of the immense sizes of the galaxies involved. Though, I can't answer the question, could a rogue asteroid sent of its original course due to this event hit Earth?

D_H Could you please elaborate on the topic of the ending of plate tectonics, I'd like to know more? :)

 

[Nicook5]

I have a question. What about the death of the Earth's dynamo? Since without it there's no magnetic field which would lead to a ton of problems, namely radiation and the atmosphere( not sure how much it would affect the atmosphere though). Just because I've been studying Mars recently (which has a dead dynamo). Does anyone really know anything about the Earth's dynamo and its lifespan? If anyone could point me towards something it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Darken-Sol]

2 billion years! That soon? Not cool.

Bugger, had some really great plans for that final 3 billion.

3 billion years worth of beer and loose women down the drain. to hell with that, let's pack up in a cozy dimension(one not affected by collisions) and wait it out. I'm sure we'll find a home afterward, i'll bring a card board box. (rent free)

 

[Drakkith]

The end will occur well before that. The Sun produces ever more energy as it ages. In a billion years or so it will be 10% hotter than it is now. The oceans will boil and plate tectonics will end -- if that hasn't already happened. Plate tectonics may come to an end even sooner than that per some geologists. Even before that, photosynthesis will come to a halt as plants continue to deplete the atmosphere of CO₂. The Earth (life on Earth) has maybe half a billion years left -- according to some.

The nice thing about all of these dire predictions is that no one will be around to see whether there conjectures are falsified.

Has anyone taken into account the addition of CO2 to the atmosphere by humans? By respiration and by burning things like fossil fuels. I would assume so, but I figured I'd just ask.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, now we start splitting hairs about what "death" means to a planet.

Certainly, being engulfed fits anyone's bill.

Does an excess of CO2? Asteroid hit? They wouldn't even wipe out the biosphere.

 

[JaredJames]

Well, now we start splitting hairs about what "death" means to a planet.

Certainly, being engulfed fits anyone's bill.

Does an excess of CO2? Asteroid hit? They wouldn't even wipe out the biosphere.

I consider death to be the destruction of the planet.

Anything else would simply be a potential end to life or simply significant changes to the planet.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Does anybody know of any ideas about how the biosphere may evolve around the changes in temperature, depleted CO2 etc? It occurs to me that the atmosphere, temperature and even day length of Earth have changed radically over the last few hundred million/billion years. I wouldn't find it inconceivable to imagine that in 1 or 2 billion years Earth would still have life Jim, but not as we know it.

2 billion years! That soon? Not cool.

Bugger, had some really great plans for that final 3 billion.

Meh, my plans involve racking up Googlelexs of Pounds of Debt so it's not so bad for me that the world ends before the collectors come.

 

[Borek]

Has anyone taken into account the addition of CO2 to the atmosphere by humans? By respiration and by burning things like fossil fuels. I would assume so, but I figured I'd just ask.

Without tectonics sooner or later most of CO₂ will land in limestone and will be never again put into the atmosphere.

 

[Drakkith]

Without tectonics sooner or later most of CO₂ will land in limestone and will be never again put into the atmosphere.

I see. Hrmm...

 

[AtomicJoe]

The Earth will gradually disappear out of the solar system as tidal power saps it's orbit energy. Thus it will become a frozen block of ice.
Either that or spiral into the sun, I didn't do the maths because the result is the same, death.
If we are lucky we might get hit by another stray planet to put some more energy back into the orbit, but don't rely on it.

 

[DaveC426913]

The Earth will gradually disappear out of the solar system as tidal power saps it's orbit energy. Thus it will become a frozen block of ice.
Either that or spiral into the sun, I didn't do the maths because the result is the same, death.

I don't think that current understanding of planetary migration posits a high likelihood of either scenario.

I could be wrong. Do you have anything to back it up?

 

[AtomicJoe]

I don't think that current understanding of planetary migration posits a high likelihood of either scenario.

I could be wrong. Do you have anything to back it up?

Yea tidal energy comes from the Earth's orbit (obviously).

As we take energy the planet loses it, it get slower and spirals into the sun.

 

[DaveC426913]

Yea tidal energy comes from the Earth's orbit (obviously).

As we take energy the planet loses it, it get slower and spirals into the sun.

While migration due to tidal forces occurs, it is not automatically a runaway process. Again, do you have anyting to back it up or are you going on what you think ought to happen?

 

[Borek]

Yea tidal energy comes from the Earth's orbit (obviously).

Please elaborate. The way I understand what you wrote, you are wrong.

There are three possible sources of energy present - one is rotational energy of the planet, other is kinetic energy of the planet orbiting Sun, third is kinetic energy of the Moon (which you seem to ignore). Which one do you mean?

 

[NUCENG]

Wales might get a tidy summer for once!


Might start looking for property on Mars...


You guys really don't want me to carry out the next 5 billion years of plans I've got.


Speak for yourself.

We need to do something. Even a billion years doesn't give enough time for the Cubs to win the World Series.

 

[AtomicJoe]

Please elaborate. The way I understand what you wrote, you are wrong.

There are three possible sources of energy present - one is rotational energy of the planet, other is kinetic energy of the planet orbiting Sun, third is kinetic energy of the Moon (which you seem to ignore). Which one do you mean?

The kinetic energy of the earth.
We are using that energy up.

 

[Drakkith]

The kinetic energy of the earth.
We are using that energy up.

What? How are we doing that?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

The kinetic energy of the earth.
We are using that energy up.

Erm, what?

 

[Borek]

The kinetic energy of the earth.
We are using that energy up.

No.

But I wonder what your reasoning is.

 

[AtomicJoe]

Erm, what?

Well it is pretty simply isn't it, I am not sure what the trouble is.

The Earth is like a generator, it is using it's kinetic energy for power.

As it revolves the energy is turned into currents in the Earth's core.

This energy is not for free, otherwise you have a perpetual motion machine machine.

No it is sapping energy from the earth, slowing it down and causing it to slow down, it's orbit
to decrease and for it to warm up as it plunges, eventually into the Sun.

Basic physics really, is it not?

 

[DaveC426913]

Well it is pretty simply isn't it, I am not sure what the trouble is.

Basic physics really, is it not?

The trouble is that it's all wrong. There's some big misunderstandings happening here.

For starters, nothing Earth's internal processes or overall motion can do will have any effect on its orbit, any more than a spacesuited man floating in freefall can affect his position in space.

Earth is getting its internal energy from several sources: initial heat from formation, radioactive decay, gravitational compression, sunlight. With the exception of the last one, the other ones will (eventually) peter out, leaving the Earth a cold dead rock like the Moon.

But it will still happily proceed in its orbit like it has done for the last 5Gy.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Well it is pretty simply isn't it, I am not sure what the trouble is.

The Earth is like a generator, it is using it's kinetic energy for power.

As it revolves the energy is turned into currents in the Earth's core.

The molten core of the Earth and it's magnetic field are nothing to do with the Earth spinning.

This energy is not for free, otherwise you have a perpetual motion machine machine.

No it is sapping energy from the earth, slowing it down and causing it to slow down, it's orbit
to decrease and for it to warm up as it plunges, eventually into the Sun.

But nothing is sapping the kinetic energy of the Earth

Basic physics really, is it not?

It is but you still have to get it right