1. Red Giant Phase: In about 5 billion years, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in its core. It will start to fuse helium, causing it to expand dramatically. This expansion will engulf Mercury, Venus, and possibly even Earth. The Sun will become a red giant, cooler but much larger and brighter than it is now.
2. Planetary Nebula: After the red giant phase, the Sun will shed its outer layers, creating a beautiful and colorful cloud of gas known as a planetary nebula. This nebula is not related to planets, but rather gets its name from its round shape.
3. White Dwarf: The remaining core of the Sun, a dense and hot object called a white dwarf, will slowly cool down over trillions of years. It will eventually become a black dwarf, a cold and dark remnant of the Sun.
Important Note: Black dwarfs are a theoretical concept, as the universe isn't old enough for any white dwarfs to have cooled down to this point.
So, the Sun's journey will ultimately lead to a quiet and dark end. But before that, it will go through some incredible changes!
