What if the sun stopped shining?

[Kevin Shaw]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

My film takes place just as you have guessed. A lonely man isolated in his home, getting his news from a radio broadcast.

In that scenario it probably wouldn't be more than a few days before the radio transmitter and power to the man's house quit because the power grid fails, after which the temperature in his house would drop to unliveable levels. As an alternative, what about some soldier stationed in an underground military bunker with decent backup power?

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Mark Bournes

Yeah but it's a good one. Should be at the top of your list for reasons. You don't want to go to "Day after tomorrow" Too Predictable. I've been waiting for someone to do a movie about this. I would like to see what you come up with.

Thanks! It will definitely be put out there. Some will believe, some won't.
The end result will be the same.

Cheers,

Mike

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

In that scenario it probably wouldn't be more than a few days before the radio transmitter and power to the man's house quit because the power grid fails, after which the temperature in his house would drop to unliveable levels. As an alternative, what about some soldier stationed in an underground military bunker with decent backup power?

You see, that's where some scientists disagree. Most seem to predict that man could survive a good few weeks. So would it really get that cold after just a few days?

The predictions go on to say that to last longer than that we would need to go into deep mine shafts or bunkers like what you have described.

I'm guessing that we would have at least a full week before things got really ugly.

Mike

[Mark Bournes]

Would those who live closer to the equator last longer? Or would it be an instant freeze?

[Mike Horrigan]

I found this... If the Sun stopped shining, how long would the Earth cool to Absolute Zero, in a few days?

Here is a quote from the answer...

If the Sun went away, this would change only a slight amount as the Earth re-adjusts to a heat flow where the outer surface is no longer warmed by the Sun. My guess is that this heat flow is not enough to keep the earth above the freezing point of water, and that after perhaps a month or so, the latent solar heat stored in the oceans and crust would be exhausted.

Do you agree or disagree?

[Kevin Shaw]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

So would it really get that cold after just a few days?

That would depend on your latitude and the time of year, but without any solar energy input worldwide temperatures would surely drop quickly. Where I live the nighttime lows are currently in the high 40s to low 50s (Farenheit), which I would expect to drop below freezing within 24-48 hours and continue down from there. Maybe at the equator near an ocean you'd get a few more days above freezing, but not many.

How about this then: researchers at the South Pole receive a radio broadcast informing them that the sun has gone out and then sit in isolation (prepared for the cold) waiting for a spring thaw which never comes...

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

That would depend on your latitude and the time of year, but without any solar energy input worldwide temperatures would surely drop quickly. Where I live the nighttime lows are currently in the high 40s to low 50s (Farenheit), which I would expect to drop below freezing within 24-48 hours and continue down from there. Maybe at the equator near an ocean you'd get a few more days above freezing, but not many.

How about this then: researchers at the South Pole receive a radio broadcast informing them that the sun has gone out and then sit in isolation (prepared for the cold) waiting for a spring thaw which never comes...

That's a good idea... but I already have the story written and getting that location would be murder! :)

I just need to get the time-line down so that people believe what they are seeing/hearing. It will happen in the Summer.

My original plan is to have Fall like temperatures after a few days, Winter after a few more days, then absolute cold.

Sound plausible?

Mike

[John Miller]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

My original plan is to have Fall like temperatures after a few days, Winter after a few more days, then absolute cold.

Sound plausible?

Mike

I think the air temperatures would drop much faster than that. Consider that the typical day-to-night temperature drop in temperate climes is 20 to 30 degF, you'd probably lose twice that per 24 hours (perpetual night).

I'd expect that any significant levels of water vapor in the atmosphere would quickly precipitate as the temperature cools, leaving cold and dry air, possibly leading to even faster drops (no clouds to retain the heat etc).

But, I don't think most audiences would consider the veracity of the timeline - more far-fetched timelines have proven to be very succe$$ful at the box office....

Residual heat from the oceans would quickly disappear, too. Compared to the immense depths of the oceans, only a very, very (almost insignificant) amount is above room temperature.

[Mike Horrigan]

So the Doctors estimation that I linked a few posts up is way off base?

I know we have no experience with this sort of thing so it really is guess work.
It just seems that most scientists are estimating that we'll have more time.

Mike

[Kevin Shaw]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

My original plan is to have Fall like temperatures after a few days, Winter after a few more days, then absolute cold. Sound plausible?

Again that depends on where they're located, but I can't see staying above freezing for more than 2-3 days tops, then dropping quickly from there. We're not talking about a change of seasons here, we're talking about the entire planet being plunged into conditions similar to being at one of the poles in winter (and then some).

[Michael Wisniewski]

There's an online sci-fi story on this (which I can't find). In the story, the author made the point that much of the oxygen would eventually turn liquid/solid due to the extreme cold. It lay on the ground in puddles or like ice. Those who survived had to wear suits. They would heat up the liquid oxygen in a pail (I forget the exact method) to fill their living quarters so they could take off their helmets.

I also half-heartedly started a similar story with the Sun mysteriously going out. The first problem seemed to be "how" do people survive. My main plot device was to have them live in a valley or location on Earth where the Earth's heat was already venting through. Like Hawaii or Yellowstone National Park.

Danny Boyle's Sunshine is a sci-fi movie based on the same premise.

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

Again that depends on where they're located, but I can't see staying above freezing for more than 2-3 days tops, then dropping quickly from there. We're not talking about a change of seasons here, we're talking about the entire planet being plunged into conditions similar to being at one of the poles in winter (and then some).

Hmm... so how long before things get so cold that everything shuts down. A week maybe?

I don't want to push it but I do need at least a week or so.

I know that the seasons won't change, I was just using the seasonal terms as a reference for how drastically the weather temperature was changing. In layman's terms for the audience really.

Mike

[Mark Bournes]

Maybe that's just it, no one can survive...just who lasts the longest?

[John Miller]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

So the Doctors estimation that I linked a few posts up is way off base?

I know we have no experience with this sort of thing so it really is guess work.
It just seems that most scientists are estimating that we'll have more time.

Mike

I ought to reveal my nerdy alter ego. For my sins, I have a PhD in physical chemistry - heavily laced with some thermodynamics. This is a very interesting thread!

The link you provided is reasonable esp regarding the comment about the temperature being warmer as you go deeper into the crust. I think the pivotal part of the equation is the about of heat tied up by the oceans. Water can absorb a lot of energy. The ocean temperature as a function of depth needs to be taken into account when determining just how much residual heat there will be in the atmosphere after the sun has set for the last time.

There are some interesting numbers in this article (try to ignore the political spin on some of it!):

http://www.oco.noaa.gov/index.jsp?sh...&nav=universal

and this one:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/lin....html&edu=high

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Mark Bournes

Maybe that's just it, no one can survive...just who lasts the longest?

I agree completely.

Mike