When the Sun expands as a red giant, which inner planet's orbit is predicted to be surpassed?
Answer
Mercury.
The massive expansion predicted for a star like our Sun when it enters the red giant phase drastically alters the scale of the inner solar system. The outer layers of the swollen star are expected to extend past the current orbital path of Mercury. Furthermore, the expansion is substantial enough that the star's photosphere is predicted to potentially reach or even engulf the orbit of Venus, demonstrating the profound physical dimension changes driven by the shift in fusion location.
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