In Its Dying Gasp, Our Sun Will Obliterate the Asteroid Belt

"Not only will our own asteroid belt be destroyed, but it will be done quickly and violently."

Angry Sun

Before it finally goes out, scientists say, our Sun will abruptly become so bright, it'll grind the entire asteroid belt down into dust — obliterating it with the ferociously bright light of a dying star.

"Not only will our own asteroid belt be destroyed, but it will be done quickly and violently," said University of Warwick researcher Dimitri Veras, a lead author of the new research. "And due solely to the light from our Sun.”

Star Power

Veras' new paper in the prestigious journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, spotted by ScienceAlert, explores the fate of the solar system.

The effect won't be pronounced enough to disintegrate planets — but it will herald the end for our dying system.

Fortunately, he says, we have about six billion years to prepare.

READ MORE: Just Before Our Sun Dies, Its Light Will Shatter The Asteroid Belt to Dust  [ScienceAlert]

More on the asteroid belt: Scientists Detect the Smallest Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System