• Question: Is the circumference of the sun decreasing?

    Asked by Elizabeth to Hephzi, Imogen, Jen, Jennifer, Tom on 10 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Thomas Barrett

      Thomas Barrett answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Some people have suggested the sun is shrinking but I haven’t found any evidence for it looking around. We do know however that as the sun uses up its hydrogen its mass will get smaller and therefore its gravity will get weaker, this will actually make the star INCREASE in size as it wont be pulling on everything so tightly anymore. Our star will be called a Red Giant when this happens and it is possible the Earth could be caught in the outer layers of the Sun when that happens.

    • Photo: Jennifer Rudd

      Jennifer Rudd answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      This article says that the mass (weight) of the sun is decreasing over time.
      http://www.universetoday.com/94252/characteristics-of-the-sun/

Comments