How Scientists Plan to Save Earth from the Sun

Independent researcher Gabriel Harry has outlined a theoretical plan in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society to keep Earth habitable for 9.1 million billion years after the Sun runs out of hydrogen fuel. According to a paper accepted by the publication, the daring thought experiment involves deploying a massive sunshade, sinking fusion reactors into Jupiter, and utilizing gravitational slingshots from redirected asteroids to move our planet out of harm’s way before the Milky Way collides with the Andromeda galaxy.

Building a 434,000-Mile Sunshade at Lagrange Point 1

To prevent a future red giant Sun from scorching the Earth, Harry proposes placing a large sunshade at Lagrange Point 1, a gravitational balancing spot situated between the Sun and our planet. According to an accompanying piece written by Harry for Phys.org, the sunshade would need to cover a massive 70-degree area of the sky to ensure the expanding red giant is properly eclipsed. The structure would require a radius of roughly 434,000 miles and would be tied to a carbon tether measuring 1.2 million miles in length.

Generating Energy via Jupiter and Moving Earth with Asteroids

Blocking the Sun means cutting off natural warming radiation, so Harry suggests deploying fusion reactors about 4,000 miles deep into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Energy produced by these reactors would then have to be transmitted back to Earth via laser beams. Furthermore, to move Earth away from the self-destructing star, the researcher suggests redirecting an asteroid to fly close to the planet’s surface a million times. This gravitational slingshot effect would gradually transfer energy, increasing Earth’s orbital distance over time.

Moving the planet far from the Sun would naturally halt Earth’s tectonic activity and nutrient cycles. Harry proposes solving this issue by sinking four pounds of antimatter into the Earth’s core every single day.

Evading the Andromeda Galaxy Collision

Looking four to five billion years into the future, any surviving humans would face an even larger cosmic threat: an incoming Andromeda galaxy currently on a collision course with the Milky Way. To move the entire solar system out of the path of destruction, Harry suggests firing a beam of hydrogen just above or below the Sun’s north or south pole to generate another gravitational slingshot effect.

This grand proposal aims to keep humans alive without requiring interstellar travel—a feat that would demand a million times more energy—or the complex terraforming of an entirely new exoplanet. According to Harry’s projections published on Phys.org, maintaining these safeguards would allow life on Earth to enjoy comfortable geology, seasons, and starry nights until the last star fades out a hundred trillion years from now.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Sun expected to run out of hydrogen fuel?

According to scientific models cited by Harry, the Sun is expected to run out of hydrogen fuel in approximately five billion years, eventually expanding into a red giant.

How would the proposed sunshade stay in place?

The proposed sunshade would be positioned at Lagrange Point 1, a gravitational balancing spot between the Sun and Earth, and anchored by a 1.2-million-mile carbon tether.

Why would humanity need to move the solar system?

Billions of years from now, the Milky Way is on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy, necessitating a method to move our solar system out of the path of impact.