Nasa expert on whether sun will ever burn out amid solar flare eruption warning

BLACKOUTS COULD OCCUR AS THE SUN'S HOTTEST REGION IS TO TURN AND FACE EARTH - BUT WILL THE SUN EVER BURN OUT? 18:40, 20 May 2025 Will the Sun ever burn out? It's one of those

questions your kids might ask you on a bright Saturday morning over breakfast that leaves you completely stumped. It seems like an impossibility - but could it actually happen? People's

interest in the Sun may have peaked this week after NASA alerted the public that Earth could be facing severe space weather impacts in the coming weeks, including solar storms due to

increased activity from the sun. These might lead to power and communication disruptions. Capturing the most intense solar eruption of the year, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

witnessed a massive flare burst forth from a newly active solar region. The flare led to radio blackouts across portions of the Middle East with radio signals being disturbed for 10 minutes.

Ongoing eruptions could continue to cause havoc with "radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts," say experts

from the space agency. In light of recent events, NASA has waded into address the, quite literally, burning question at hand. "Will the Sun ever burn out? Well, the Sun, just like the

stars we see at night, is a star," NASA explained. "It’s a giant ball of super hot hydrogen. Gravity squeezes it in and it creates energy, which is what makes the sun shine.

"Eventually, it will use up all of that hydrogen. But in the process, it’s creating helium. So it will then use the helium. And it will continue to use larger and larger elements until

it can’t do this anymore. "When that happens, it will start to expand into a red giant the size of the inner planets. Then it will shrink back down into a very strange star called a

white dwarf - super hot, but not very bright and about the size of the Earth. "But our Sun has a pretty long lifetime. It’s halfway through its 10-billion-year lifetime." While

astronomy enthusiasts process that information, NASA added: "So, the Sun will never really burn out, but it will change and be a very, very different dim kind of star when it reaches

the end of its normal life." Recent abnormal solar activities are partially due to the current stage in the Sun’s natural 11-year evolutionary cycle, which includes alternating periods

of solar maximum and minimum. Currently, the Sun is in its solar maximum phase. JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our

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can read our Privacy Notice. During this period, the Sun undergoes a magnetic pole reversal, leading to increased solar activity compared to other phases of its cycle. This heightened solar

activity is often accompanied by auroras like the Northern Lights. According to the Met Office's latest space weather forecast, an exceptionally active region of the Sun is now turning

towards Earth, which is expected to cause a surge in solar activity. While the chances of witnessing the Northern Lights from the UK are currently slim, the ongoing period of heightened

solar activity could soon improve prospects. Article continues below