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What If We Moved Earth?

What If | March 1, 2026



Some 5 billion years from now, the Sun will expand and become a red giant. And Earth might be just in the way… If humans were still around then, would we leave Earth? Or would we move it? What is the Sun’s problem anyway?

Like any other star, it has an expiration date. The beginning of its end will feature our Sun swelling into a red giant, wiping out everything that happens to be orbiting it too closely. Like Earth.

Transcript and sources: https://insh.world/science/what-if-we-moved-earth/

Made possible with the support of Ontario Creates http://www.ontariocreates.ca

Watch more what-if scenarios:
Planet Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-HhCwYD7rc&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJCzxwmCq0NNpYq9N9wyb2l
The Cosmos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfuJyVkMH_g&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJno6oFF9nLGuwXNGYHmE8U
Technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3bBO05fpU&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIeRY3JtgXgoGqSEB7kDdKO
Your Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmXR46TrbA8&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJNsV9FFeNAKl2ySsHj8GZO
Humanity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdCDQIyXGnw&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIFnvmOeWbv-Mt8zFxSCSvZ

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“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.” — Carl Sagan

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Produced by Underknown in Toronto, What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure — grounded in scientific theory — through time, space and chance, as we ask what if some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence were different.
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Comments

This post currently has 44 comments.

  1. @theoptimisticskeptic

    March 1, 2026 at 9:31 pm

    You can tell this is a 4 year old video. Now we know (or at least think) we do not have that much time due to plate tectonics. According to the latest studies/simulations the continents are moving back together and in the few 100 million years will make the climate too hot for mammals to live on the most of the surface of the planet.
    But moving the Earth's orbit is not actually that hard, you just have to use some other large bodies like Ceres maybe to disturb our orbit slowly over 100's of thousands of years to slowly move our orbit further out.
    Also. another point, Mercury's orbit is already destabilized! It's already predicted to eventually either be dragged into the Sun or be cast off into outer space. I can't remember which is more likely to happen in a few billion years.

  2. @kennethober9070

    March 1, 2026 at 9:31 pm

    The suns luminosity will increase by 1 percent per 100 million years. We have 500 millions years until the sun gets too bright causing major storms that deplete CO2, earth loose plants (unless they adapt to the heat) and O2 all together. Earth has 3.5 billion years until it becomes hotter than Venus (1500c vs 470c) thanks to a runaway greenhouse effect that kickstarts in about 500 million years and slowly climbs 3 billions years later when it suddenly goes from around 150c to 1500c in a few short million years. We don’t have billions of years left to worry about the sun going into a red giant phase. Sun shields and way to reheat the core would gain us billions of years.

  3. @ProTheRobloxer

    March 1, 2026 at 9:31 pm

    The sun: just a normal day
    inner planets: hi
    sun: vibe check. starts expanding WAIT WHA-
    humans: our technology is so advanced we have rockets that move faster than the speed of light
    earth: thank god
    outer planets: oh sh*t
    humans: moves earth
    sun: oh no what is wrong with me
    sun: AAAAA IM EXPANDING!
    mercury and venus and mars: *orbits becomes chaotic*
    mars: why am i closer to the sun and why is venus closer to me-
    *Collides with venus*
    mercury: ahh i’m getting eaten
    Sun: eats mercury
    sun: oh no why am i reaching venus orbit??? oh yes the venus and mars collided now it’s at earth orbit
    sun: accidentally eats venmar (venus and mars combined)
    sun: wait… am i not gonna be a white dwarf?
    sun: oh yea i had a setting that i forgot to change before i became red giant… now i’m gonna expand forever nooo
    asteroid belt including ceres: OH NO
    jupiter: omg is sun gonna be bigger than quasi star????
    sun: eats jupiter, saturn, uranus and neptune
    pluto: OH NO.
    sun: eats dwarf planets
    sun: oh no please don’t eat oort cloud
    sun: eats oort cloud
    sun: WAIT I DIDNT MEAN TO DO THAT-
    sun: becomes 1 light year long
    sun: oh no
    sun: eats saggitarius a
    sun: and i’m also immortal. i can eat black holes what???
    sun: eats milky way galaxy
    sun: oh no please don’t go too big
    sun: expands bigger than ton 618
    sun: oh no.
    sun: eats universe
    sun: WHAT THE HECK. PLEASE LET ME CHANGE MY SETTINGS NOW.
    system: no
    sun: oh no.
    sun: reached 1000000K surface temp
    sun: reach 100009000000928273747338399484948484847474774747474747474774474774747474447747 trillion luminosity
    sun: eats everything
    sun: now can i change my settings? please let me….
    system: sorry but no
    sun: WHAT. NO NO NO.
    sun: eats the system
    sun: now i can change my se- oh wait i ate the system but not the settings!!!
    sun: yay finally
    options
    white dwarf: cant turn off
    inf expanding: cant turn off
    other
    become bigger than literally everything: on

    sun: oh no.

    sun: anyways imma just eat the comment lol

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