what will happen when the sun burns out

Question: what will happen when the sun burns out
- Keywords:
  apocalypse,
  burn,
  die,
  earth,
  end of the world,
  explode,
  planet,
  space,
  sun
Asked by mlricketts to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 20 Mar 2011. This question was also asked by helena1996.
- Julian Rayner answered on 17 Mar 2011:
  
  My understanding is that it will heat up first, which will make life no longer tenable on earth. But that will be billions of years away, and the chances of there being any humans left alive then is pretty slim!
- Stephen Moss answered on 17 Mar 2011:
  
  Hi Mlricketts
  
  When the sun burns it will probably collapse in on itself and then explode. And when it does, that will be then end of the Earth too.
- Eoin Lettice answered on 17 Mar 2011:
  
  Hi mlricketts,
  I don’t know…. but chances are humans won’t be around to find out!
  At least that’s what I’ve discovered from watching Prof. Brian Cox’s new show!
  
  Eoin
- Charlie Ryan answered on 20 Mar 2011:
  
  hi mlricketts and helena1996! thank you for asking some more questions!
  Well when the sun runs out of fuel – hydrogen, which it fuses into helium – into will expand and become a red giant star. At this point it will start to use helium as its fuel – fuesing it to form helium. After this point the outer layer of this red giant will slowly fall away, leaving a cloud of debris, and a white dwarf in the centre.

Question: what will happen when the sun burns out