Featured Article Summary #82

The Sun has been featured in fiction since ancient times, but it was initially portrayed as a habitable planet with various types of solar inhabitants. As scientific knowledge advanced, these depictions declined and stories began to focus on the potential destruction caused by the Sun's eventual death. The belief that the Sun was powered by combustion was common until the discovery of nuclear fusion in the 1920s. The theme of the Sun dimming or going extinct continued to appear in disaster stories, along with attempts to reignite it. The Sun has also been portrayed as a source of power and used in the form of solar power, superpowers, and propulsion for spacecraft with solar sails. Solar eclipses were initially used as a plot device but became less common in fiction over time. Sunspots and the dangers of approaching the Sun in spacecraft also appear in some works. Overall, the Sun has been relatively underutilized in science fiction compared to other celestial bodies. In early science fiction, the Sun was not as popular of a topic as the Moon until the late 1800s. However, there were still works that depicted the Sun as having inhabitants. This concept of inhabited celestial bodies persisted until the 1900s, when it became clear that conventional organisms could not survive the Sun's conditions. Instead, more exotic and imaginative solar lifeforms started appearing in fiction. Many stories depict the Sun as a destructive force, either by fading away or exploding. The idea of the Sun dimming or going extinct has been explored in various science fiction stories. Earlier stories were based on the belief that the Sun's heat and light came from combustion and would eventually run out. Later, as the understanding of nuclear fusion as the Sun's energy source emerged, science fiction authors began incorporating longer solar lifespans in their stories. Some stories even depict attempts to reignite the fading Sun. Several stories in science fiction depict the Sun exploding, with some focusing on the anticipation of its destruction rather than the aftermath. It wasn't until the concept of space travel became widespread in science fiction that these stories became popular, as it made evacuation of Earth a conceivable possibility. Various authors have explored different scenarios, including aliens trying to save humanity or causing the explosion for their own benefit, and even the Mafia being tricked into leaving Earth because of the supposed impending nova.