Our Planet - Earth Discover

Main image: Space artist Don Dixon's portrayal of the expanded, red-giant Sun on the verge of enveloping the Earth and Moon approximately 5 billion years from now. Inset: An infrared image captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope showcasing the Helix Nebula, a remnant of debris created during the final stages of a star's life, resembling what our Sun may become.

~5 Billion: The Inevitable Demise of Earth – A Glimpse into the Sun’s Future

The Sun's eventual transformation into a red giant and then a white dwarf marks Earth's inevitable end, but it also opens possibilities for future life to thrive on other worlds

An artist's depiction of a solar storm impacting Mars and removing ions from the planet's upper atmosphere. Could Earth face a similar fate billions of years from now when our planet's magnetic field weakens or disappears?

~2-3 Billion: The Solidification of Earth’s Core – Future Implications

As Earth's core cools and solidifies over the next few billion years, the cessation of its magnetic field will lead to significant atmospheric and geological changes, fundamentally altering the planet's environment

An artist's depiction of a "hot Jupiter," one of the most frequently discovered types of exoplanets near our solar system. In about a billion years, as the Sun continues to evolve and heat up, Earth's oceans will evaporate, transforming our planet into a "hot Earth."

~1 Billion: The Future of Earth’s Oceans – Evaporation in a Brighter Sun

As the Sun gradually brightens, Earth will experience rising temperatures leading to the evaporation of oceans and eventually transforming into a dry, desert world, potentially rendering it uninhabitable within a billion years

In the distant future, the Moon will move farther away from the Earth, resulting in all solar eclipses being "annular" eclipses, like the one pictured here from May 20, 2012.

~600 Million: The Last Total Solar Eclipse – Moon’s Gradual Departure from Earth

As the Moon slowly drifts away from Earth, the phenomenon of total solar eclipses will eventually cease, with the last one expected in about 600 million years, leading to a future of only annular eclipses

If the current directions of plate movement persist, it is estimated that within approximately 250 million years, the continents will reunite, forming what is often referred to as "Pangea Proxima" or "Pangea Ultima."

~250 Million: Pangea Proxima – Envisioning Earth’s Future Supercontinent

"Pangea Proxima" explores the potential future formation of a supercontinent due to Earth's shifting tectonic plates, a continuation of the planet's dynamic geological evolution

A depiction showing the orbits of known Near-Earth Asteroids (blue) in comparison to the relatively circular orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth (white), and Mars. This view looks down onto the north pole of the solar system.

~500,000: Predicting the Next Major Asteroid Impact on Earth

Exploring the likelihood and potential consequences of future major asteroid impacts on Earth, and the ongoing efforts to predict and prepare for these events

A 2013 photo of an erupting undersea volcano creating a new island off the coast of Nishinoshima, Japan. The future Hawaiian island of Loihi will resemble this in geological terms.

~100,000-200,000: Exploring Loihi – The Emerging Hawaiian Island

Discover Loihi, an undersea mountain set to become Hawaii's newest island. With a history of seismic activity and significant growth potential, Loihi epitomizes Earth's dynamic geological processes

Artist's representation of a cross-section of magma ascending through the Earth's crust and erupting at the location of the "Yellowstone supervolcano" in central North America.

~100,000: Understanding the Yellowstone Supervolcano – A Dormant Giant

Yellowstone, a dormant supervolcano, last erupted 630,000 years ago and is closely monitored due to its potential to significantly impact the global climate

An artistic representation of Earth during the last glacial maximum of the current ice age, approximately 2 million years ago. Could this be a glimpse of Earth's future, possibly 50,000 years from now?

~50,000: The Future of Ice Ages – Analyzing Earth’s Climatic Changes

The onset of the next glacial period in our current ice age may be delayed due to minimal orbital changes and rising CO2 levels, potentially marking the end of the Quaternary ice age

In the future, possibly within the next 50-100 years or even sooner, human civilization will deplete easily accessible fossil fuel resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. What comes next?

~2100: The Impending Decline of Fossil Fuels – A Shift Towards Renewable Energy

The reliance on fossil fuels may end sooner than their depletion, as advancements in renewable energy sources like solar and wind are set to transform global energy consumption patterns