Brief
New study says solar system may destabilise within a billion years of Sun becoming a white dwarf
A recent paper argues that random mass‑loss events when the Sun becomes a white dwarf could destabilise planetary orbits within a billion years.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Scientists have published a new model indicating that the Solar System could become chaotic about one billion years after the Sun turns into a white dwarf, rather than persisting for far longer, Independent reported on 1 October 2026.
What happened
The study examines the Sun’s transition to a white dwarf, expected in roughly eight billion years, when it will shed roughly half its mass. Earlier calculations assumed this mass loss would be smooth, allowing planetary orbits to expand but remain stable. The new work proposes that mass loss will instead occur in irregular “kicks” – sudden ejections of material in random directions and times.
What the reports add
According to Independent, these stochastic kicks could dramatically alter planetary trajectories, potentially ejecting planets from the system or sending them into destabilising resonances. The authors contrast their findings with centuries‑old expectations dating back to Isaac Newton, which suggested that the Sun’s gradual mass loss would preserve orbital order. The paper also notes that the most distant known planet, Uranus, was previously thought to stay stable for a quintillion years, but the new model reduces the overall system lifetime to about one billion years after white‑dwarf formation.
What was said
The article quotes the researchers as saying the Sun’s mass‑loss will be “random in both time and direction,” a pattern that could produce “kicks” capable of reshaping planetary orbits.
How it came about
The research builds on earlier theoretical work that treated solar mass loss as a smooth process. By incorporating stochastic mass‑ejection events, the authors provide a mechanism that could accelerate the Solar System’s eventual disintegration, challenging long‑standing assumptions about its long‑term stability.
Key facts
- The Sun will become a white dwarf in about eight billion years. (independent.co.uk)
- New modelling suggests the Solar System could destabilise within one billion years after that transition. (independent.co.uk)
- Researchers propose the Sun’s mass loss will occur in random, directional ejections rather than smoothly. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “The solar system could be destroyed much sooner than we thought, scientists say”
