What If You Fell Into A Subgiant Star?

Mind Astray

6/11/2025

Transcript

00:00what would happen if the sun our reliable source of light and warmth started changing

00:05imagine it swelling up cooling down and transforming into something massive and strange

00:12and what if for some reason you found yourself falling into this new and evolving giant

00:18let's dive into a fascinating stage of a star's life today what might it be like to fall into a

00:24sub-giant star a sub-giant isn't as explosive as a supernova or as enormous as a red giant that

00:31could stretch across our solar system it is a star going through an important and often ignored

00:37period of change in a few billion years our sun will reach this stage this stage happens when a

00:44star uses up all the hydrogen in its core after billions of years it's almost like the star

00:50prepares itself for a final dramatic change as you move closer to this expanding aging star

00:56what stands out as an unmistakable sign that this isn't just an ordinary star

01:02is it the overwhelming heat the intense light or could it be something deeper about a star's journey

01:09through life the very first thing you'd see is how enormous it is a regular sub-giant can grow to have

01:16a radius two to ten times larger than our sun s it may not be as enormous as betelgeuse but it is still

01:23a massive ball of burning gas a sub-giant doesn't have a solid surface that would crush you like other

01:31stars it is made of hot plasma and is spread out its outer layers though are much thinner and much hotter

01:38than anything you can imagine experiencing fusion in a sub-giant works from that of a main sequence star

01:45a sub-giant no longer uses hydrogen fusion in its core instead the energy comes from a burning hydrogen

01:53shell surrounding the dead helium core in the center this type of shell burning works better at producing

01:59energy this makes the star grow larger and its surface cool down a bit creating its signature reddish color

02:06you wouldn't face the intense radiation of a younger or hotter star but the heat alone would be too much to

02:12survive even though the outer atmosphere isn't as hot as the sun's core it would still reach thousands

02:19of degrees kelvin falling into this would mean breaking apart from the heat your body would turn

02:25into ionized plasma bit by bit as you sank deeper this process wouldn't happen all at once it'd be a slow

02:32and unstoppable change the deeper you went the density would grow while the gravity wouldn't stretch

02:39you like spaghettification right away its force would be strong what would your mind feel as the

02:46unending pull drags you closer to a place where matter is shaped and changed into something new unlike

02:53the steady nature of the main sequence a sub-giant's core shrinks while its outer parts stretch outward

02:59inside big changes are reshaping the star you would fall through layers with shifting pressure and heat

03:07where each part contributes to the star s slow shift into a red giant this is the calm before things get wild

03:15the quiet lead up to the stars more exciting next stage the sub-giant phase doesn't last long

03:21just a few million years for a star like the sun in cosmic terms it passes in the blink of an eye

03:29it's a short-lived step before the star puffs up into a red giant as you get closer to the hydrogen

03:36burning shell the heat would rise fast and radiation would grow much stronger this is where the star creates

03:44most of its energy the pressures in this area are so intense that they force hydrogen atoms to merge into

03:50helium if your atoms stayed intact at all they would be torn apart and pushed into those same nuclear

03:56reactions then there's the core it's made of helium that isn't fusing yet it's dense and hot gathering

04:04more helium from the burning shell layered above it what would it be like to fall into the silent heart

04:09of a star where events build up toward future explosions this center is important it sets the star's final

04:17course for its next big change in stars like the sun helium fusion will start in the core

04:24this makes the star shrink a bit and settle onto the horizontal branch however before fusion begins

04:31the core keeps compressing and the star continues growing larger moving toward its red giant phase

04:38the end inside a sub-giant star isn't dramatic like a supernova

04:43it's a slow and essential blending process the star's plasma would absorb your atoms making

04:49them part of its greater currents over time they would contribute to the changes and progress within

04:55the star's life cycle the carbon oxygen and iron in your body came from the core of a colossal ancient

05:03star that exploded long before your time you are made of stardust falling into a sub-giant connects you back

05:11to this cosmic origin and keeps the ongoing pattern of stars being born and dying alive venturing into

05:18a sub-giant shows us that stars don't stay the same they are alive in their own way always shifting

05:25growing and going through big changes we belong to these cycles in the universe we aren't separate from

05:32it we're a small but essential part of its incredible story the idea of falling into a star sounds scary

05:40but sub-gents tell a different story they show how stars endure using up hydrogen and getting ready for

05:47their next stage in life they act as a link in the universe's timeline a short-lived phase packed with

05:53energy and the hint of an exciting and unstable future ahead so when you gaze at the stars

06:00keep in mind that every star follows its own journey of change even the so-called quiet sub-gents hold

06:07clues about the amazing story of the universe what other mysteries of the universe catch your attention

06:14are there any wild what-if questions you'd love to examine drop your thoughts about space in the comments

06:20if diving into the core of a sub-giant got you thinking about your place in the universe hit like

06:27share this video with a friend who loves space and subscribe to see more eye-opening journeys through

06:33the cosmos until then keep looking up and exploring the endless skies

What If You Fell Into A Subgiant Star?

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