HEADSCRATCHERS

Seeking answers to your science questions? Ask our resident expert, Peter Gallivan

? What would happen if the Sun stopped producing light?

Anna-Elizabeth

It takes light from the Sun around eight minutes to travel across space to Earth. This means if the Sun suddenly stopped shining, there would be eight minutes before the planet was plunged into darkness. Most energy sources would still work and the electricity would stay on, so the darkness wouldn’t be total.

Sunlight fuels photosynthesis (how plants produce food), so plants would all die. Then, plant-eating animals would die off, reducing the food supply for meat-eating animals. Humans have lots of provisions stored up, but we too would soon face widespread shortages. Within a week, temperatures would drop to -17ºC, and down to -73ºC within a year. This would cause the ocean surface to freeze over. Water deeper down would stay liquid, meaning life around hydrothermal vents (fuelled by heat from inside the planet, rather than the Sun) would still survive.

? Is it possible to teleport?

Gabriel