Scientists from the University of Warwick and other universities have studied the impact white dwarfs – end-of-state stars that have burned all their fuel – have on planetary systems such as our own solar system.

When asteroids, moons and planets get close to white dwarfs, their huge gravity rips these small planetary bodies into smaller and smaller pieces, which continue to collide, eventually grinding them into dust.

While the researchers said Earth would probably be swallowed by our host star, the sun, before it becomes a white dwarf, the rest of our solar system, including asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, as well as moons of Jupiter, ultimately may be shredded by the sun in a white star form.

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[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm not exactly clear on how Jupiter could be pulled into the roche limit of the sun, but if it happened, yeah that would look pretty darn cool!

[–] teft@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Jupiter being mostly gas and fluid would look especially cool since it would string out, not break apart as it approached the roche limit. I think the only way that could happen is an extrasolar body wandering into the solar system and perturbing jupiters orbit. That would fuck the rest of the planet’s orbits too but imagine how cool it would look.