A slight change in the sun’s position could cause
the Earth to become Uninhabitable for all life.

The sun’s importance has been ingrained in minds since the dawn of time, leaving the collective understanding that the sun was essentially the “provider of life”.The sun provides us with solar energy, heat, and a light source that continuously supports the further development of life and production as we know it. With the sun providing us with so many benefits, without its energy to provide sustenance, there can be disastrous consequences. If the sun stopped energy production, all life would die, meaning that all organisms using the energy (through photosynthesis and solar respiration) would decrease. Since the majority of living organisms on Earth make up the base of our food chain, eventually all dependent species will be negatively impacted and die out.

From old discovered text, Humanity has recognized in cultures in Egypt, Greece, and Japan the intense role of the sun in sustaining life. In the article “How Ancient Cultures Explained Eclipses” written by Roger Culver, states that “In many cultures throughout human history, the sun was seen as an entity of supreme importance, crucial to their very existence.” (Culver, 2017). The sun’s role since the 14 century B.C.E. (Before the common era) was providing heat, warmth, and sunlight to aid the production of plants and crops. The sun was undoubtedly worshiped by masses of people like the Egyptians and the Maya, believing that this life-giving force was a divine power that controlled survival. Worshipers had the right idea about the benefits of the sun and just decided to acknowledge and honor it differently. That being said, what ultimately depends on the benefits of the sun? Plants! and let’s get into why that is.

The evolution of plant life has been the main support system that keeps human existence rolling and constantly expanding over time. Plants are essential resources to the earth because of photosynthesis. Plants take in carbon dioxide and provide needed nutrients and CO2, to produce clean breathing air for humans and any other species to survive. Plants and their roots are important in supporting nutrients for soil by dying. In the article “The plant-soil Relationship” written by Martin, J. B. (n.d.) states: “Plant roots help to prevent erosion, and when plants die, they become the raw material for worms, insects, and microbes to build the nutrient-rich humus that supports robust food webs and promotes good soil structure.” (J.B). If the sun was too far or close by 3-7.5 million kilometers, the Earth would leave the habitual zone for all living processes to occur and the repercussions of this would be dire for everything else dependent on plants. Constant production of life forces would disappear from Earth due to the disturbance in the chain of life and cause a domino effect if the sun’s position were to change. 

Calculated energy rates from the sun have been reported to differ slightly on a day-to-day basis. Different energy rates can affect the distribution of how much energy is received on the Earth’s surface and where. If the solar energy output changes, The production of clouds will be disrupted in the atmosphere and this will affect how water distribution is conducted as well. Because the water cycle is fully supported by the sun’s energy, a change in energy production would ultimately affect the process of the water cycle. In the article “Solar Energy and the Water Cycle” posted by Earth Labs wrote “The water cycle is driven primarily by the energy from the sun. This solar energy drives the cycle by evaporating water from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and even the soil.” (Labs). This statement supports how important the sun is in supporting how water gets around on Earth. With the sun too far, there won’t be enough solar energy for the water cycle to occur. If the sun was too close, there would be too much energy and heat that results in rapid evaporation, essentially all the water would boil off the earth leaving the oceans like the Sahara Dessert. 

The heat being received initially from the sun would increase exponentially causing the ocean’s temperature to rise. The rise in ocean temperatures would cause aquatic life to deplete especially if species need certain temperatures to thrive and reproduce. The article “Ocean Warming Is One of the Big Climate Change Question Marks” written by the U.S. Government of Accountability Office on November 30, 2023, states: “Marine heatwaves can stress and kill marine life and disrupt ecosystems. For example, they can cause coral bleaching.” (U.S GAO). Some species will be forced to migrate into new areas to continue reproduction and this could lead to more “invasive” species and overpopulation. Increased temperature will also cause coral bleaching, which means the coral will start to get rid of the algae that create their color resulting in the death of reefs and biospheres that are dependent on them.

Negative effects on humans due to increased temperature can be heat-related illnesses such as rashes, exhaustion, and cramps. Dehydration would be a very common occurrence along with poor air quality that could trigger underlying complications within the body and cause the immune system to become challenged. The intense increase in temperature would make day-to-day activities limited due to essentially having a constant heat lamp beaming down on every part of the planet. If we were to be reptiles, this would be perfect for survival however I will leave that discussion to the theorists.

In conclusion, the change in the overall distance of the sun’s position would undoubtedly disturb how the earth has already adapted to be, causing rapid changes in ecosystems, habitats, and biomes. The world, which was once a piece of floating compacted rock, has adapted an accepted distance from the sun and has physically gone through evolutional changes to retain and successfully continue the production of new life at every turn. The Earth nurtures the Plants which produce oxygen and nutrients to sustain human life, aquatic life, animals, geographical landmarks, and so much more. A change in the sun’s position would essentially make Earth food on the stove. If you make it too hot (the sun being too close to the Earth), water will evaporate leading the majority of specimens dependent on it to die off. The Earth would become a constantly overheated rock that continues to burn off anything remaining on the surface, survival rates will reduce and force new adaptation. However, if you make it too cold you’ll be left with frozen oceans and depleting temperatures that would eventually turn the Earth into the next Pluto.

References

Culver, R. (2017, August 17). How ancient cultures explained eclipses. Colorado State University News. Retrieved March 6, 2024, from https://source.colostate.edu/ancient-cultures-explained-eclipses/

Martin, J. B. (n.d.). The Plant-Soil Relationship – KidsGardening. Kids Gardening. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://kidsgardening.org/resources/lesson-plans-the-plant-soil-relationship/

2A: Solar Energy and the Water Cycle. (n.d.). SERC. Retrieved March 11, 2024, from https://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/2a.html