Speaker
Description
As the Sun advances toward the red giant branch, secular changes in luminosity, mass loss, and tidal interactions will progressively reshape the inner solar system. The innermost terrestrial planet, subject to orbital decay and thermal runaways, will experience conditions incompatible with structural integrity. This event precipitates a realignment of orbital and thermal states among the remaining terrestrial bodies, with each successive planet adopting regimes reminiscent of its now‑altered predecessor. The present‑day orbital and atmospheric characteristics of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars may thus serve as analogues for the future states of Venus, Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt respectively. This study models the orbital dynamics and thermodynamic evolution of this cascade, providing a framework for identifying transient habitable windows and assessing the resilience of planetary environments under late‑stage stellar evolution.