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Solar System Astronomy

Will the Sun become a black hole?

No, the Sun will not become a black hole. Black holes are incredibly dense objects that are formed when very massive stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their lives. The Sun is not massive enough to become a black hole. Instead, it will eventually exhaust its supply of hydrogen fuel and expand into a red giant. After it shreds its outer layers, it will shrink down into a white dwarf.

The Sun will not become a black hole

The Sun contains about 99.86% of the mass in the solar system. The remaining 0.14% is made up of the planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other objects that orbit the Sun. This means that the Sun is incredibly massive compared to the other objects in the solar system, and its gravitational pull is what keeps everything in orbit around it.

Despite that, its mass is simply not enough to become a black hole.

Will the Sun become a black hole?
Black holes are incredibly dense objects that are formed when very massive stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their lives. The Sun is not massive enough to become a black hole. Image source: “Back Hole In Milky Way” on Deposit Photos

What is the Critical Mass at Which a Star Becomes a Black Hole?

The critical mass at which a star becomes a black hole is not a fixed value, as it can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the star’s composition and the amount of pressure it is under. However, in general, a star must have a mass of at least three times that of the Sun to have the potential to become a black hole.

Keep in mind that this “at least 3 times the mass of the Sun” is the star after shredding its outer layers with a supernova explosion. So, the Sun would need to be about 20 times more massive than it is to end its life as a black hole.

Will the Sun become a black hole?
The Sun is massive: it contains 99.86% of the total mass of the entire solar system. But, despite that, it won’t become a black hole in the future. Its mass is simply not enough. Image Credit: NASA‘s GSFCSDO AIA Team

How will the Sun die?

The Sun will eventually exhaust its supply of hydrogen fuel in about 5 billion years and begin to die. This will let the Sun start to fuse heavier elements in the core, along with fusing hydrogen in a shell wrapped around the core.

When this happens, the core of the Sun will collapse and become hotter and denser, causing the outer layers of the Sun to expand and cool. This will cause the Sun to become a red giant. When it is a red giant, the outer layers of the Sun’s atmosphere will expand so far out into space that they’ll engulf Earth. The Earth will be inhospitable way before that happens, though.

This red giant phase will last about a billion years. Eventually, the outer layers of the Sun will be pushed off into space, leaving behind a hot core that will cool and collapse over time to become a white dwarf.

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres
Özgür Nevres

By M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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