Did you know the sun is really old? The sun is about 4.5 billion years old! How did scientists find this out?
Scientists believe that everything in the solar system came together around the same time. To figure out how old the solar system is, scientists try to find the oldest objects they can.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, astronauts went to the moon. They brought back moon rocks. The moon rocks were around 4.5 billion years old. These rocks were created when the solar system was formed. So scientists believe that’s also how old the sun is.
We know how old the sun is, but do we know how long it will last? Stars like the sun usually burn for about 9 or 10 billion years. That means our sun is about halfway through its life. It will probably burn for about 5 billion years more!
After these next 5 billion years, the sun will turn into a red giant. That means the sun will get bigger and cooler at the same time. It will also be much brighter than it is now.
