What happens first -- Sun Red Giant or Andromeda collision?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the timing of two significant astronomical events: the Sun becoming a red giant and the collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. Participants explore the implications of these events for life on Earth and the solar system.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes the difficulty in answering the question due to the lack of specific timestamps for either event, suggesting that the Sun will become too hot for life long before it becomes a red giant.
  • Another participant references Wikipedia, indicating that by the time the galaxies collide, Earth will likely be too hot for liquid water, which is estimated to occur in about 3.75 billion years due to the Sun's increasing luminosity.
  • A different participant mentions an informal remark from an astronomer suggesting that the oceans could be vaporized in about 1 billion years, although this is not presented as a precise calculation.
  • Some participants propose that the timing of the collision may depend on Andromeda's transverse velocity, with predictions about the solar system's fate during the collision varying significantly.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty regarding the exact timing of the events and their implications for Earth. There is no consensus on the precise timeline or the conditions under which life on Earth will end.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the assumptions made about the timelines of the Sun's evolution and the Andromeda collision, as well as the reliance on informal remarks and varying scientific predictions.

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What happens first Sun Red Giant or Andromeda collision?
 
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This is difficult to answer because neither has a timestamp. The collision is more diffusion, and long before the sun becomes actually a red giant, it is way too hot for life on earth. So what should we take as time: first stars of two galaxies are closer than how many lightyears, and sun swallows Mercury?
 
By chance, there is a section in Wikipedia that directly addresses your question. It seems that the bottom line is "by the time the two galaxies collide, the surface of the Earth will have already become far too hot for liquid water to exist, ending all terrestrial life; that is currently estimated to occur in about 3.75 billion years "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda–Milky_Way_collision

Fate of the Solar System[edit]​

See also: Formation and evolution of the Solar System § Galactic collision and planetary disruption
Two scientists with the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics stated that when, and even whether, the two galaxies collide will depend on Andromeda's transverse velocity.[3] Based on current calculations they predict a 50% chance that in a merged galaxy, the Solar System will be swept out three times farther from the galactic core than its current distance.[3] They also predict a 12% chance that the Solar System will be ejected from the new galaxy sometime during the collision.[15][16] Such an event would have no adverse effect on the system and the chances of any sort of disturbance to the Sun or planets themselves may be remote.[15][16]

Excluding planetary engineering, by the time the two galaxies collide, the surface of the Earth will have already become far too hot for liquid water to exist, ending all terrestrial life; that is currently estimated to occur in about 3.75 billion years due to gradually increasing luminosity of the Sun (it will have risen by 35–40% above its current luminosity).[17][18]
 
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anorlunda said:
By chance, there is a section in Wikipedia that directly addresses your question. It seems that the bottom line is "by the time the two galaxies collide, the surface of the Earth will have already become far too hot for liquid water to exist, ending all terrestrial life; that is currently estimated to occur in about 3.75 billion years "
I've seen an astronomer on tv last night who said that the oceans will be vaporized in about 1 billion years from now. However, it was a rather informal remark, not an exact calculation.
 
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