You may lament your short life span, but cheer up! Your impending death means you won’t have to endure billions of horrific years to come. In 2014, scientists found another reason to rejoice in your genes’ deterioration: White dwarf stars, like the remnant that will remain at the end of the sun’s life, eat rocky planets like Earth for their last meal. Here are a few more milestones to be grateful to miss.
1.1 billion years: The sun is 10 percent brighter. The extra heat hitting Earth’s surface causes water to begin to boil off into space. No more yachts, no more Powerade, no more fun.
3.5 billion years: After eons of such heat, the sun has turned our planet into a true twin of Venus: dry, hot and dead. But without beaches, what point was there to staying alive, anyway?
5 billion years: The sun is running out of ...
