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The Sun is shrinking 5 feet per hour [1]
['Mark Frauenfelder']
Date: 2023-12-28
The Sun is not a static sphere but a dynamic, pulsating entity, shrinking at a rate of about 5 feet per hour horizontally.
According to The Cosmic Mind-Boggling Book, Scientists have been observing this trend for quite some time, estimating that the Sun has been steadily shrinking for the past 100 years and perhaps even as far back as 400 years. What does this mean for our central star? It's believed this isn't a permanent downsizing but rather part of a long-term oscillation pattern — a cosmic breathing, if you will. This pulsation might not just be a fascinating quirk of solar behavior; it could contribute to the Sun's life-giving energy. In addition to the nuclear fusion at its core, the Sun might be squeezing some extra energy out through this gravitational contraction.
If you're picturing the Sun dramatically dwindling away, rest assured, this shrinkage is incredibly slow. Over a century at this rate, the Sun would be nearly 1,000 miles narrower — a mere fraction of its current 865,000-mile diameter.
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