The Sun is critical for the existence of life on Earth, but we must never forget that it is a giant sphere packed with thermonuclear fury that will completely annihilate us in a few billion years. So what would happen if we could tow a piece of the Sun to Earth's atmosphere? The definitive answer depends on the region to which that piece belongs, but in general terms we can say that it would kill everything in its reach.
The data available indicate that the Sun is middle-aged (approximately 4.6 billion years old) and will maintain its relative stability for another five billion years, before transforming into a red giant that will devour the orbits of Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth. Personally, I hope that humanity (if it hasn't already disappeared from the Universe due to another event) has a very good idea on how to avoid that final fate full of fire and plasma. Meanwhile… we can speculate about different apocalyptic scenarios, and that brings us to the latest video published by Kurzgesagt. Instead of waiting for the Sun to become larger, why not bring a piece of our mother star to Earth?
(Editor's note: Remember to activate the Spanish subtitles)
The Region of the Sun Determines the Outcome
If we start with the chromosphere, we discover that the piece of the Sun is actually a million times less dense than air, so in practical terms it would be the same as bringing a vacuum. The atmospheric pressure would crush it, and the air would fill the void with an energy equivalent to 12 kilograms of TNT. The shockwave would destroy windows, and in the most unfortunate cases, internal organs.
Moving to the photosphere, the sample would have a pressure similar to that of our atmosphere, sustained by its heat. Its TNT equivalent rises to 25 kilograms, and for just an instant it would shine a million times brighter than the Sun seen from Earth… only to then engulf the laboratory in flames and death.
From here, the exercise becomes a very bad idea. A sample from the radiative zone would behave almost identically to a thermonuclear bomb, razing the laboratory and the city in which it is located.
Finally, we reach the core. Its destructive power would be between 80 and 100 times greater than that of the Tsar Bomba detonated by the Soviet Union in 1961. Everything within a 300-kilometer radius would burn, the shockwave would finish off most structures on the European continent, and the dust in the atmosphere would initiate a new ice age.
Adorable.
