**1. Red Giant Phase:**
- In about 5 billion years, the Sun will enter the red giant phase. During this phase, it will exhaust the hydrogen fuel in its core and start to burn helium.
- The Sun will expand dramatically, possibly reaching a size large enough to engulf Mercury and Venus, and it will likely cause extreme heating and changes on Earth.
**2. Impact on Earth:**
- As the Sun expands, it will release a tremendous amount of energy, causing the Earth's surface temperature to rise significantly. This will make the planet uninhabitable long before it is physically engulfed.
- The intense heat and solar winds from the expanding Sun will strip away the Earth's atmosphere, and the oceans will eventually evaporate.
**3. Fate of Inner Planets:**
- Mercury and Venus, being closer to the Sun than Earth, are even more likely to be engulfed during the red giant phase. They will experience similar catastrophic heating and changes.
**4. Planetary Nebula and White Dwarf:**
- After the red giant phase, the Sun will shed its outer layers, forming a beautiful planetary nebula. The remaining core, now a white dwarf, will be about the size of Earth but incredibly dense.
**5. New Orbits:**
- The loss of mass from the Sun as it becomes a white dwarf will alter the gravitational dynamics of the solar system. This could cause the surviving planets, including Mars, to move into new, more distant orbits.
In summary, while the Sun's transformation into a red giant and eventual formation of a white dwarf won't exactly "engulf" the inner planets, including Earth, they will be profoundly affected. The increase in solar luminosity and the expansion of the Sun will render these planets uninhabitable long before any physical engulfment occurs. The fate of each planet will depend on its distance from the Sun and the specific changes in the Sun's size and intensity during its evolution.
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