What If the Sun Disappeared Right Now? (Hour by Hour)

In 8 minutes and 20 seconds, the sky would go black. Using known physics and published measurements, this is what would happen, step by step, if the Sun disappeared, and what could still survive. 💬 Comment: what would you do with those last 8 minutes of sunlight? 0:00 The Sun vanishes 0:32 0 to 8 minutes: Nothing happens 1:58 Minute 8: The lights go out 3:10 Hour 1 to Day 1: Energy 4:23 Week 1: Below freezing 5:02 Year 1: About minus seventy degrees 5:48 The survivors 6:16 What about humans? 7:04 Thousands of years later: A rogue planet 7:48 The Sun's real future Sources: NASA, Sun facts: 99.8% of the solar system's mass; Earth-Sun distance; light travel time of about 499 s. Abbott et al. 2017, ApJL 848 L13 (GW170817): gravitational waves and gamma rays arrived about 1.7 s apart, from about 130 million light-years. NASA, Earth fact sheet: orbital speed of about 29.8 km/s. NOAA Ocean Service: about half of Earth's oxygen comes from ocean plankton. David Stevenson (Caltech): estimates of about -18 °C after 1 week and about -73 °C after 1 year, as cited in Scientific American and Live Science. Davies & Davies 2010, Solid Earth 1: Earth's heat flow of about 47 TW. NOAA Ocean Exploration and WHOI: hydrothermal vents (Galápagos Rift, 1977) and chemosynthesis. Orkustofnun, the National Energy Authority of Iceland: geothermal is about 2/3 of primary energy and heats about 90% of homes. NASA: Proxima Centauri at about 4.24 light-years. Sumi et al. 2023, AJ 166 108 (MOA microlensing), and NASA Roman Space Telescope: rogue planets. NASA: the Sun's red-giant and white-dwarf future, and planetary nebulae (Hubble and JWST images of the Ring and Helix nebulae). Footage and images: NASA Image and Video Library, images.nasa.gov (public domain; NASA does not endorse this channel). Clips used: HURRICANE FRANKLIN IS SEEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STAT (NASA JSC) HURRICANE IDALIA IS SEEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIO (NASA JSC) SDO: Year 5 (NASA GSFC) Arching Eruption (NASA GSFC) SDO: Year 6 (NASA GSFC) NASA to Explore Volcanoes, Coral Reefs, and Snowpacks (NASA GSFC) SDO: Year 7 (NASA GSFC) Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Another Record Low (NASA GSFC) Two Weeks in the Life of a Sunspot (NASA GSFC) Scientists Bury GPS in Antarctic Ice to Measure Effects of T (NASA GSFC) The 88-South Antarctic Traverse: B-Roll 1 (NASA GSFC) The 88-South Antarctic Traverse: B-Roll 2 (NASA GSFC) Two Research Vessels Leave for the Twilight Zone (NASA GSFC) 2018 Arctic Sea Ice Ties for Sixth Lowest Minimum Extent on (NASA GSFC) NASA's Fermi Mission Shows How Luck Favors the Prepared (NASA GSFC) NASA's View of Pine Island Glacier's Latest Iceberg (NASA GSFC) Artemis 1 Solar Array Wing Deploy and Inspection (NASA KSC) Roman Space Telescope Arrival at PHSF (NASA KSC) Roman Space Telescope - Broll (NASA KSC) Pegasus ICON Solar Array Deployment Test (NASA KSC) Your Orbiting Laboratory: Space Station Benefits (NASA HQ) Expedition 70 Progress 86 Cargo Ship Docks to International (NASA JSC) Additional Views of Hurricane Helene from the International (NASA JSC) Artemis II Iceland Geology Training Reel (NASA JSC) Hurricane Erin Seen From International Space Station - 8-19- (NASA JSC) jsc2025m000399_Artemis_II_Crew_Geology_Training_Iceland (NASA JSC) jscm001441_Top_20_Earth_Images_of_2020-4kMP4 (NASA JSC) Narration uses an AI-generated voice. 👉 Subscribe to The Universe Asks and turn on notifications so you don't miss the next question. 💬 Tell us in the comments: which space topic or "what if" question should we make next? We read every comment, and we'll make the most requested ones. #space #whatif #universe #science #astronomy