Think about trying up on the sky. The Solar is shining, the birds are singing, and every part feels regular. However right here is the terrifying reality I noticed whereas researching this: The Solar may have vanished 5 minutes in the past, and we wouldn’t have a clue.
Mild takes precisely 8 minutes and 20 seconds to journey from the Solar to Earth. If the Solar merely popped out of existence proper now, gravity would additionally stop immediately—however as a result of gravity travels on the pace of sunshine, we might proceed orbiting an empty spot in area for those self same 8 minutes.
This isn’t only a sci-fi nightmare; it’s an interesting have a look at how fragile our existence actually is. As a tech fanatic who loves simulations, operating this situation in my head was each terrifying and awe-inspiring. Let’s dive into the timeline of the apocalypse.
The Second of Launch: Earth Turns into a Spaceship
When that 8-minute timer runs out, two issues occur concurrently:
Everlasting Evening: The sky goes immediately darkish. The moon disappears (because it displays daylight), and the celebs grow to be blindingly shiny.The Nice Fling: With out the Solar’s gravity tethering us, Earth stops orbiting and flies off in a straight line at 67,000 mph. We successfully grow to be a rogue spaceship drifting into the void.
The First Week: The Silent Killer
You may suppose the chilly is the instant hazard. It’s not. We retain some warmth because of our environment. The true killer is the dying of photosynthesis.
Plant Life: With out daylight, most small crops die inside days.The Meals Chain: As crops die, herbivores starve, adopted by carnivores.Panic: Whereas we now have tech and electrical energy, the psychological impression of a sunless sky would trigger international chaos.
The Deep Freeze: The Period of “Oxygen Snow”
That is the half that genuinely gave me chills whereas I used to be penning this. Inside just a few months, the worldwide temperature drops under -100°C.
The Oceans: The floor freezes over, making a thick layer of ice. Nonetheless, geothermal vents on the backside of the ocean may hold liquid water (and microbial life) alive for billions of years.The Ambiance Collapses: That is the wildest half. Ultimately, it will get so chilly that the environment itself begins to freeze. First, it rains liquid nitrogen. Then, as we strategy absolute zero, oxygen turns into snow.
Think about strolling exterior in a spacesuit, and as a substitute of water snow, you’re strolling by means of drifts of frozen air. It’s a haunting picture.
Survival: May Humanity Make It?
I’ve at all times been an optimist about human ingenuity. If we knew this was coming, may we survive? The reply is a tentative “Sure,” however not on the floor.
Our solely hope could be geothermal vitality. We would wish to maneuver deep underground, constructing cities clustered round volcanic vents or tapping into the Earth’s core warmth. Iceland would abruptly grow to be essentially the most invaluable actual property on the earth (or what’s left of it).
In these bunkers, we would wish:
Nuclear Energy: To interchange photo voltaic vitality.Hydroponics: Rising meals beneath UV lights.A New Society: Who will get in? That’s the moral dilemma that no simulation can simply remedy.
My Remaining Ideas
We regularly have a look at the Metaverse and digital worlds as “escapism,” however researching the bodily actuality of our photo voltaic system jogs my memory that Earth is the one spaceship we now have. The concept of drifting alone by means of the galaxy is terrifying, nevertheless it additionally highlights the unimaginable heat and security we take as a right each time the solar comes up.
What ability do you suppose could be most respected in these underground bunkers? I’m curious to listen to your take.
