L. Decin

When an exoplanet briefly eclipses its star, starlight passes through its air and absorbs its chemical taste. This technique, the transit method, is the core of how the James Webb telescope works.

In 5 billion years, the Sun, having exhausted its fuel, will start to swell, turning into a red giant. Like a balloon losing air, the star will weaken its gravitational grip, and Earth — a grain of sand on an invisible thread — will drift to a more distant orbit.