hmm, thanks. you seem like you know what you're talking about, so if you wouldn't mind answering/attempting to answer a question. I keep hearing that the sun will eventually swallow up the earth (as shown in the gif). any truth to this? I understand when you said that as the sun keeps getting bigger, the orbits will shift outward as well, which I assume is because greater mass = greater force of gravity to keep them in an expanded orbit, so where does this sun-swallowing-earth theory come from?

Another thing not mentioned; Australia is headed for North America, not the Indian Sub-continent.

good to know.

Also there has been talk that the orbits of the planets in our solar system may not be very stable and as the sun expands, mercury will get shot out towards Jupiter and maybe out of the solar system completely, if it doesnt hit something on its way out.(like the earth).

can you expand on this a little, like how are they unstable. I mean it's essentially the sun's gravity pull that's holding everything together in this solar system right? or am I missing something? If I'm not, then how can such a scenario, like you described, happen.

One final point; None of us or even our ancestors will be there to see much of anything past 2 million years from now.The maximum mammalian species lifespan is 10 million years and judging by the rate of our population growth, we are closing in on extinction really fast.

of course, but don't you mean due to resource shortage, rather than population growth(which I guess is the cause of resource shortage)

thanks once again.