What Would Happen if the Sun Suddenly Stopped Emitting Energy?

[russ_watters]

Tides.

Ok, then - also unless you were taking highly precise measurements of the tides, you wouldn't notice until much longer either.

 

[Chi Meson]

We do have about 30,000 nukes waiting to be used. Just bunch them up on one side of the Earth (I know the location 99% of people reading this will have in mind) and let rip towards Alpha Centuari.

That's still a ping pong ball hitting the Titanic.

 

[Astronuc]

Since about 30% of the Sun's energy is reflected, you could increase the effective percentage of geothermal and tidal energy a bit, but they still essentially add to about zero.

At something like -250 C - there will be no tides. There will be no liquid - except possibly hydrogen - on the surface.

If the Earth's temperature were to drop to -250 C in 4 days, people would not have time to collect at geothermal centers - of which there are few. There would be no food, no water, no medicine, no air (that's frozen), no electricity. The Earth would be a desert wasteland.

End of story.

 

[BobG]

At something like -250 C - there will be no tides. There will be no liquid - except possibly hydrogen - on the surface.

If the Earth's temperature were to drop to -250 C in 4 days, people would not have time to collect at geothermal centers - of which there are few. There would be no food, no water, no medicine, no air (that's frozen), no electricity. The Earth would be a desert wasteland.

End of story.

But there'll be sequel, right?

 

[esbo]

I suppose some people could survive if they had a supply of fossil fuel to provide heat to melt the air etc... but it does not sound a great deal of fun.

I guess you might get some benefit from super conductors at absolute zero though.

Sounds like the best place to be would be on a space station.

Also you could let off the worlds entire nuclear weapon supply at a safe distance (arms length) to gain a bit of extra heat.

 

[Danger]

I suppose some people could survive if they had a supply of fossil fuel to provide heat to melt the air etc...

Of course, it would be a bit hard to ignite in the absence of air...

 

[esbo]

Of course, it would be a bit hard to ignite in the absence of air...

Well you would have a while to light it before the air froze.

 

[Danger]

Well you would have a while to light it before the air froze.

Touche.
Damn, I hate it when someone gets in the last word on me.

 

[rewebster]

my guess would be that the areas not near water, or the ocean effect, would drop about 15 to 20 degrees a day, until it reached what the polar regions are when there is no sun----that is, to about minus 50 to minus 80 F.

As soon as the oceans cool, that's when every thing would definitely drop even lower. And with no sun, the plants would die off---I can't remember who determined exactly as to how fast after the meteorite hit that most of the vegetation died off, but I'd guess a week to three weeks, and it wouldn't help the plants as the temp drops below zero everywhere--end result: no new food production or oxygen production.

So besides the suicides, murders over food, riots, the temps so cold, no natural light to get around, etc. --I'd say 90% of the population gone within two months-95% gone in six months-99.99999% gone within a year---the rest gone within two to three years, except maybe some, 5000-10000, within some governments with highly specialized long term shelters.