Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

ANameAin'tNothingButLetters (guest) 12 Oct 2011 17:47

This is probebly a really stupid question, but I read about some theory that planet earth will
become a star next year.. My common sense is offcourse saying no with capitol N but I have not
heard an astronomers take on this… So is this as impossible as I think or what?

I mean, planets are planets and stars are stars am I right? They don't shift, Im not mentally retarded by
the way, this is a real question :) Peace

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

Alene Y 12 Oct 2011 17:53

Their claims get sillier by the day. No, it can't. Most certainly not a rocky planet like Earth.

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

obaeyens 12 Oct 2011 18:11

I agree with Alene, this is the most moronic claim I ever heard.

And this is why:

• Not enough mass to create enough pressure to start fusion.
• Wrong elements to start fusion. The smallest star need Hydrogen to convert it into helium to get the fusion.

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

3WMElliott 12 Oct 2011 18:06

So is this as impossible as I think or what?

You need to give yourself more credit, it is as you point out deserving of an 'N' followed by a lot of 'o's. A fair few. Noooooooooooope, kind of thing.

I mean, planets are planets and stars are stars am I right?

On the whole, but it's fuzzier than you think. There are stars known as 'failed stars', or Brown dwarfs, that aren't 'star'-ey enough to become complete stars as you'd imagine them, such that they end up more like a gas giant, like Jupiter. There are even a few stars that failed to become failed stars, if you can picture that, and yet are still classified as stars rather than planets.

They don't shift

If they're going to shift, it'd be when they form, so in the case of our Solar System a good 4 or 5 billion years ago. Shifting isn't quite the right word though, an object doesn't decide to start as one then become another, either it has all the mass for a star and the laws of physics smooshes it all up into a star, or it has nowhere near enough mass and it ends up as a planet.

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

NighthawkNZ 12 Oct 2011 21:28

Man the dooms day dudes claims are getting werider and dumber by the minute… I mean how??? Maybe it is because the human race in general is getting dumber… do not tell the conspiracy theorist I said that tho…

No Earth can not, and will turn into a star…

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I see stupid people…

Juanita (guest) 05 Nov 2011 00:15

long answer: NO Short answer: NO

Herooo (guest) 12 Oct 2011 18:16

Ivan Gorelik theory? :D

ANameAin'tNothingButLetters (guest) 12 Oct 2011 20:07

Thank you for your answers people.. I kinda knew this but my common sense needed some
feedback, hehe

Anyway, I don't know who Ivan Gorelik is, but I've read many posts on a Swedish forum by some dude
who claims this, He also claims alotta other stuff (New-Age, Collective Consciousness, different
dimensions type stuff)

He also claims that drugs might help to get in touch with your cosmic self :) So I kinda suspected he
was on some bs..

Anyway, thanks guys :)

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

Bob Sacamano 12 Oct 2011 21:13

I applaud the posters that took a serious approach to this claim. It about had me in stitches.

pedro (guest) 12 Oct 2011 21:16

:P that was the most stupid claim i have heard , its like if i say a dog is going to be a dinosaur next year :P

Winters (guest) 12 Oct 2011 23:11

Holy NOW I have Heard IT ALL!!!!!

Going to my room and cry now :P
^^^
thats a joke or is it!!!

Jesse Darby (guest) 27 Oct 2011 03:08

Uhm no defineately no…a star is a complex cycle of nuclear fusion that cycles through the elements..i believe when it starts to fuse into iron the start has to die since Iron can not be Fused to produce heat..i'm a bit rusty on the whole Nuclear Fusion Ideaology

Re: Can a planet (Earth) become a star?

Keith the Gamer Geek 04 Nov 2011 23:44

Consider that Jupiter, which has 318 times the mass of the Earth, would itself have to experience an 80-fold increase in mass before it could become a dinky (cosmically speaking) red dwarf star, an object that is typically less than 1% as bright as the Sun.

So if you multiply 318 x 80, well, that's a ginormous amount of matter. And, as others have said, Earth isn't even made of the right stuff for that to happen anyway.

I can't help but wonder how much more idiotic the claims will get the closer we get to next December.

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"The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it". —Dr. Phil Plait

"If psychics are capable of seeing into the future—why the f**k can't they give us the score to next year's Super Bowl" —Denis Leary