Where might the outer layers of our Sun swell during its red giant phase relative to the current orbits of the terrestrial planets?
Answer
Far past the orbit of Mercury and likely engulfing Venus
The physical dimensions reached by the Sun when it becomes a red giant are immense compared to its current size. The text explicitly states that the star's outer layers will swell far past the orbit of Mercury. Furthermore, the expansion is predicted to be significant enough that it will likely engulf Venus. There is even speculation that the outer edge of this massive stellar envelope could potentially reach the current orbit of Earth, rendering our planet uninhabitable long before physical engulfment due to extreme stellar heating and intense stellar winds.
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