* The Sun's Red Giant Phase: In about 5-7.5 billion years, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in its core. It will then enter a phase called the red giant phase, where it will swell dramatically, becoming about 100 times larger than its current size.
* Inner Planets' Fate: At that point, the Sun will be large enough to engulf Mercury, Venus, and likely Earth. Mars might survive, though it would be incredibly hot and uninhabitable.
So, to answer your question directly:
* It's estimated that the Sun will consume the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, and Earth) in about 5-7.5 billion years.
It's important to note that:
* This is a long-term prediction based on our current understanding of stellar evolution. There's always some uncertainty in these estimates.
* While the Sun consuming the inner planets sounds dramatic, it's a slow process. The Sun won't suddenly explode or engulf Earth in a blink. It will be a gradual process over millions of years.
* By that time, life as we know it on Earth will have long since ceased to exist. The Earth will be too hot for any life to survive, even long before the Sun engulfs it.
So, we don't need to worry about the Sun swallowing Earth any time soon!
