In about 5 billion years, the Sun will die an amazing death.
As its hydrogen runs out, the Sun will start to burn helium. It will grow into a red giant star so big that it reaches Venus’s orbit. Once the helium is used up, the Sun will collapse. It will become a hot white dwarf star about the size of Earth. Then it will cool.
We know all this from watching other stars. Point a telescope in almost any direction. You’ll see a star’s birth or death in progress. Recently, scientists have found that some stars have planets spinning around them, just as our star does. Maybe somewhere, there’s a planet where creatures are wondering, “Who’s out there?”
