Question: will it be possible for the sun to burn out and what will happen to the earth

Lizzard O'Day answered on 20 Jun 2011:

The Sun could burn out, but before that is likely to happen the Sun’s actually more likely to get hotter and it would be this phenomenon that results in end of the world type situation. However, fear not though we’re talking like 5 billion years in the future..

Nonetheless here’s how it’s thought to work:

The Sun is very slowly expanding.. this is because one of the ways the sun works is by burning the hydrogen in its core into helium. When the core runs out of hydrogen (we’re probably good for another 5 billion years) the reactions in the core will stop– but the reactions around the core will continue– this will make the core contract and as a result heat up.. The outer edge of the Sun will get closer to Earth making Earth hot- like really hot, so hot that oceans dry up and all the water on Earth evaporates thus wiping out life… It won’t be pretty but like I said we’ve got time on our sides in this case.