24. Will our Sun really blow up like a supernova and form a black hole? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Our Sun is not massive enough to produce a supernova explosion or form a black hole! Remember, the end life of a star like our Sun, which has less than eight solar masses, will result in the star eventually swelling to its red giant phase and then an eventual collapse into a small hot object called a white dwarf. This will not begin to happen for at least another three to five billion years, but when it does Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth will be swallowed up by the expansion of the Sun and all life on Earth will end. The sudden collapse of the Sun from its swollen red giant phase at the speed of light will leave the tenuous outer atmosphere of the Sun intact to form a magnificent planetary nebula that will be left to glow due to the energy provided by the Sun's core which shines as a small hot white dwarf star.

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Answer provided by Jim Zebrowski

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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