A new scientific study suggests that Earth and Mars might survive the ultimate expansion and death of the Sun, contrary to previous beliefs that our planet would be completely swallowed. Researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium and the Saclay Center in France have published their findings in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, revealing a complex battle of physical forces that could push Earth into a safer, more distant orbit.

According to the study, as the Sun ages and expands into a red giant, two opposing forces will determine Earth’s fate: tidal forces drawing it in, and massive solar winds causing the Sun to lose mass. As the Sun’s mass decreases, its gravitational pull weakens, which could allow Earth and Mars to drift outward and escape destruction. However, closer planets like Mercury and Venus will not share this luck and are expected to be completely engulfed.

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While the physical planet of Earth might survive this cosmic event, which is expected to occur in about 5 billion years, life on it will have ended much earlier. Billions of years before the Sun’s final expansion, the extreme heat will evaporate Earth’s oceans and eliminate all life forms. The rising temperatures will strip away the atmosphere, leaving Earth as an uninhabitable, barren rock, while other outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will also face severe consequences.