Why And When Will the Sun Stop Burning

<p>In this episode, we step inside the thermonuclear furnace of our closest star to explore the delicate physics keeping it alive and the hidden countdown to its ultimate demise. </p><p>Powered by a relentless gravitational weight that crushes its core into a plasma furnace of tens of millions of degrees, the sun survives on a strict balance between inward gravity and the outward push of nuclear fusion. </p><p>But calculating the sun&#39;s precise lifespan has been plunged into a fascinating scientific mystery. </p><p>It turns out that a tiny detail, the exact &quot;recipe&quot; of the sun&#39;s heavy chemical ingredients, or its metallicity, acts like a thick winter coat, trapping core radiation and dictating how fast the star burns through its finite hydrogen fuel.</p><p>For decades, this recipe was considered a settled cornerstone of astronomy. </p><p>Now, two of science&#39;s most trusted methods of &quot;reading&quot; the sun are locked in a major contradiction, threatening to alter our standard solar model and force a massive 10 to 15 percent recalculation of the age of the entire cosmos. </p>