A new video shows Earth getting devoured and destroyed by the Sun after it exploded and went supernova.

A video released by the YouTube channel Space Sim shows a simulation of what would happen to Earth once the Sun reaches the end of its life cycle. Like other stars, the Sun relies on fuel to burn brightly. Once it runs out of fuel, the Sun will collapse under the weight of its own gravity.

It was previously believed that like other stars, the Sun’s death will lead to a massive explosion in space. In the video released by Space Sim, the massive explosion from the Sun as it goes supernova can be seen expanding across space and into Earth’s vicinity.

Eventually, as the explosion expands, the nearby planets such as Mercury, Venus and Earth get devoured. The intense heat from the explosion will rapidly increase the temperature on Earth, as shown by the glowing red glare around the planet in the video. As this continues to happen, Earth will become too hot to support life.

Earth will continue to burn up inside the supernova remains until it disintegrates.

Of course, the video is just a simulation and does not reflect what would actually happen to the Sun if it dies. According to experts, the Sun is too small to cause a massive supernova. Only stars that are over ten times more massive than the Sun can explode like this.

Instead of causing an immediate explosion, the Sun’s death will happen gradually and in a different manner. As the massive star reaches the end of its life, it will turn into a red giant and grow bigger. Researchers predicted that the Sun will get so big that it might end up eating nearby planets including Earth.

As it reaches the tipping point of its size, the Sun will begin to shrink as it blows off its outer layers into space. The Sun will continue doing this until it becomes a white dwarf, which is the core of a dead star.

If Earth manages to survive the Sun’s expansion during its red giant phase, the planet will then have to deal with existing in a system without a host star. Without sunlight, life on Earth will eventually die out.

solar-flare
Solar material that reaches Earth, such as after a solar flare like this one, can disturb our planet’s magnetic fields. NASA