# Sun disappears, Earth flies away. How long until closest star and is Eearth a time capsule? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342 "2014-04-17T14:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342/21 "2014-04-20T03:43:28Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Y > Van Maanen’s Star is quite close as stars go, but it also has a high proper motion. It’s some 5 degrees north of the equator, and is moving south at 2.7 arcsec/year. I realized some time after I posted that you don’t want to use right ascention and declination for this. Instead you have to convert to [ecliptic coordinates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic_coordinate_system) and look for stars with low declination in that coordinate system. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342/22 "2014-04-20T04:36:53Z")
Unfortunately unbound Earth’s velocity would be far less than the galactic escape velocity, and so we’ll be roaming forever on the outskirts of the Milky Way, and not visiting fun places like Triangulum galaxy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342/23 "2014-04-20T05:37:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That was the premise of one of the first science fiction stories I ever read,[_A Pail of Air_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pail_of_Air) by Fritz Leiber. I almost mentioned it in my above post. One of my favorite short stories ever. Thanks for the figures, **Machine Elf!** I knew it would be a lot, but that really puts it in perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342/24 "2014-04-20T18:46:25Z")
> [@j\_sum1](#): > > Here you go. [Solid nitrogen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM04U5BO3Ug). Cool! Thanks! > [@Ornery\_Bob](#): > > Gosh, I hope it doesn’t happen. Understatement of the day. > [@mandala](#): > > Unfortunately unbound Earth’s velocity would be far less than the galactic escape velocity, and so we’ll be roaming forever on the outskirts of the Milky Way, and not visiting fun places like Triangulum galaxy. ☹ Good point: we can’t guess where the Earth will intercept other stars by assuming a straight path. Our Delta Vee with respect to the Sun’s orbit around the galaxy center will be small (about 0.5%) , so we’ll stay in pretty much the same orbit neighborhood. I’m almost curious enough to find out what the angular difference is between the ecliptic and the galactic plane, which would help define the possibilities of what direction we might get started. In any case, we’ll oscillate through the galactic plane (as we do now.) From [here](http://solar-center.stanford.edu/FAQ/Qsolsysspeed.html), an interesting tidbit: > [@](#): > > We are currently in the thick of the galactic disk and our view of distant regions is largely blocked by dust but 10-20 million years from now, our motion will allow a full view of our starry galaxy. Imagine the view! I wonder how that might have affected Aristotle’s celestial concepts. I’m rather sorry humanity was timed to miss it. Lucky for me, I can see artists conceptions and computer reconstructions (not to mention, great photos of Andromeda.) But imagine just looking up and seeing it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-disappears-earth-flies-away-how-long-until-closest-star-and-is-eearth-a-time-capsule/686342.md?page=1)