Using a new computer model, they found that rather than simply fading away as previously thought, the dying sun will transform into a stunning planetary nebula visible for millions of light years around. Writing in the journal Nature Astronomy, Zijlstra and colleagues in Poland and Argentina describe what will happen next. After forming a red giant, the sun will lose about half of its mass as the outer layers are blown off at about 20km per second. The planetary nebula will shine for about 10,000 years. By the time the core reached the required temperature of 30,000C in those models, the outer layers would be long gone, and dispersed into the gas and dust that drifts between the stars.

Source: The Guardian May 07, 2018 15:00 UTC