The Sun will not explode in a supernova-like event. Instead, its ultimate fate will unfold over billions of years. Roughly 5 billion years from now, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in its core, causing dramatic changes. It will expand into a red giant, growing large enough to potentially engulf Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth. This expansion will mark the end of life as we know it on Earth due to extreme heat. After this red giant phase, the Sun will shed its outer layers into space, creating a beautiful planetary nebula, and leave behind a dense core known as a white dwarf—a small, hot, dim remnant roughly the size of Earth. This white dwarf will gradually cool and fade over time. This entire transformative process from hydrogen exhaustion to white dwarf formation will span a few billion years after the initial hydrogen runs out. In summary:

• The Sun will not explode but undergo a red giant phase in about 5 billion years.
• It will engulf inner planets, possibly including Earth.
• After shedding outer layers, it will become a white dwarf star.
• This process happens gradually over billions of years.