Top-Paying Companies

Engineers at Devon Energy take home an average $178,305 total compensation annually. See which other Best Companies to Work For offer big paychecks.

1. Southern Ohio Medical Center
Average total pay: $490,647
For: Physician*
Best companies rank: 36

How did a regional hospital network in the heart of Appalachian Ohio find its way to the top of our list of best paying companies? By offering strong pay to draw talented doctors, with an average salary of close to half a million dollars.

Southern Ohio sweetens the pot by matching employees' 401(k) contributions 100% up to 2% of salary and by offering perks such as its SOMC Adventures, which include New York shopping sprees, Caribbean cruises, visits to Amish country, and dinner trips.

The company also pays generously for professional development as part of a grow-your-own philosophy: Southern Ohio reimburses tuition not only for employees, but also for their family members. Internal candidates always get first dibs on open positions for which they are qualified. The proof is in the personnel: 31 of the hospital's 32 directors rose up from hourly staff positions.

2. Bingham McCutchen
Average total pay: $228,851
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 30

Courtesy of Bingham McCutchen

Bring your friends to Bingham McCutchen. If landing a job with top pay isn't enough, the law firm's employees can collect up to $25,000 for helping colleagues get jobs there too.

Bingham's bonus bonanza rolls on. Early last year, the firm gave its associate attorneys merit pay between $7,500 and $35,000. A few months later, the firm handed out a special Spring Bonus of between $2,500 and $20,000. In 2010, Bingham paid out $9 million in associate bonuses alone.

For retirement, Bingham will contribute up to 12.5% of employees' compensation into a money-purchase pension plan. Its employees give plenty back, too. The firm's lawyers performed more than 57,000 hours of pro bono work in 2010. For animal-loving employees and partners, Bingham offers voluntary pet insurance at a group discounted rate. 

3. Alston & Bird
Average total pay: $201,233
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 24

For employees of Alston & Bird who aren't sure how to manage all that money they're making, the law firm offers quarterly investment seminars. Everyone is eligible for a year-end merit bonus and profit-sharing of up to 7% of salary.

Paralegals and staff are specially feted each year during a week-long celebration with door prizes including roundtrip airline tickets, TVs, and cash. All employees are also eligible to receive a gift from Tiffany & Co. after every five years of service.

A&B also gives out spot bonuses of up to $2,000 for things like a service contribution that significantly impacts the firm. A&B offers 90 days of maternity leave, as well as three weeks off for new dads -- and it reimburses up to $7,000 of adoption costs. Employees looking to give a little back can get 15 hours a year of paid time off for community service.

4. Perkins Coie
Average total pay: $189,409
For: Associate*
Best companies rank: 58

Courtesy of Perkins Coie

Health insurance is on the house at Perkins Coie. The law firm pays 100% of medical and dental premiums to full-time employees who work at least 25 hours a week.


The firm regularly provides free breakfast and lunch at a number of its offices. In the off-hours, it sponsors book and softball clubs. Other extras include pet insurance and long-term care insurance for employees' parents and grandparents.

Perkins is also looking out for its employees for the long haul, kicking 7.3% of team members' salaries into a retirement fund and matching 401(k) contributions up to fifty cents on the dollar up to 6% of salary. Staff employees are eligible to receive up to two months' paid sabbatical leave to do anything they want, except work for pay. 

5. EOG Resources
Average total pay: $188,663
For: Engineer*
Best companies rank: 72

Talk about pay-dirt. Through its BCFe Awards (that's Billion Cubic Feet Equivalent for the uninitiated), employee divisions of EOG reap big bonuses when they hit key milestones. Pools range from $200,000 to $500,000, up to a possible cumulative payout of $2,450,000 over the productive life of a project at the independent energy exploration and production company.

EOG offers a shockproof retirement plan, matching 401(k) contributions buck-for-buck up to 6% of annual compensation. It also offers a company-funded retirement contribution of up to 9% of annual compensation. All new hires receive stock appreciation rights (SARs), and all employees are eligible for annual SARs grants as part of their compensation packages.

6. Devon Energy
Average total pay: $178,305
For: Engineer*
Best companies rank: 28

Courtesy of Devon Energy

With reserves of 2.9 billion barrels of oil -- and more than $6 billion spent on exploration and development in 2011 -- it's unlikely that Devon Energy will be running on empty any time soon.


One of the nation's leading independent oil and natural gas producers, Devon paid its people median bonuses of more than $9,000 in 2010. Through a Super 401(k) program, the company contributes up to 22% of cash compensation (salary plus bonus), depending on the employee's own contribution and tenure.

About half of Devon's employees receive long-term incentives, including restricted stock. Clearly it keeps them happy: Full-time turnover is below 5%. On the charitable side, the company matches 100% of its team members' United Way contributions.

7. Ultimate Software
Average total pay: $166,000
For: System Consultant*
Best companies rank: 25

Salespeople aren't the only employees at Ultimate Software to reap immediate rewards for the company's success. Everyone at the human resources and payroll software maker gets to take at least one company-subsidized trip every two years -- and take their family members, too.

All new hires receive restricted stock shares, and Ultimate offers a long list of benefits, including long-term disability, vision, dental, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year, and an employee assistance program that extends to employees' family members.

Paying well is paying off. The company hit its 2010 goal of almost $228 million in revenues with plans to hit the $400 million mark by 2013.

8. Hitachi Data Systems
Average total pay: $163,694
For: Sales Support Function/Solutions Consultant*
Best companies rank: 86

Hitachi Data Systems says its company ethos of Hitachi Spirit is "more than a poster on a wall." Its values of fairness, honesty, and integrity include taking care of nearly 2,000 U.S.-based employees as well. In addition to generous pay packages, Hitachi's 401(k) match is up to 6% of salary. The information technology arm of Hitachi Ltd. offers a Global Incentive Plan that pays out bonuses four times per year -- and everyone in the company is eligible.

Recognition is also a big deal around Hitachi. Through the company website, co-workers can point out each other's achievements, and qualified employees can get prizes like flat-screen TVs. The company gave away more than $2.6 million worth of gifts in 2010. Managers can reward workers with a Night on the Town, which can mean dinner for two or tickets to a sporting event. Those who find their way into Hitachi's Circle of Excellence earn trips to places like Barcelona or the Great Barrier Reef.

9. Boston Consulting Group
Average total pay: $154,543
For: Consultant*
Best companies rank: 2

Road-warriors fly the work-friendly skies with Boston Consulting Group. Consultants with a lot to do on long flights can often upgrade to business class on the company dime. That's just one of many perks that add up to a top-notch rewards package. New consultants receive up to $184,800, and as their rapidly expanding responsibilities increase, their compensation follows suit.

BCG spends thousands of dollars to recruit new consultants. It hooks smart candidates with lures such as signing bonuses, a 5% profit sharing retirement fund contribution, no preset limits on sick-leave, three weeks' vacation to start, and a wide range of training opportunities.

The firm's health benefits are generous and require no employee contribution. As one employee noted: "My wife and I recently had our first child, and it was a complicated birth that ran up nearly $200,000 in hospital charges. We paid only $5." 

10. Autodesk
Average total pay: $150,500
For: Software Engineer*
Best companies rank: 52

Courtesy of Autodesk

Autodesk takes pride in its spirit of fairness. There are no executive parking spots, and CEO Carl Bass does not have a door on his office. Last year, when the maker of 3-D design, engineering and entertainment software had to reduce expenses, senior leaders took pay cuts between between 2% and 10%.


All new hires receive stock options, and managers have discretion to award restricted stock shares to anyone who deserves them. After every four years, all employees are awarded six weeks off with full pay, on top of their regular vacation time.

Autodesk also allows employees to take up to six paid days per year to volunteer in their communities. The company gave away more than $1 million in cash and about $1.5 million in software donations in 2010 -- and matched over $200,000 in employee donations. 
Source: Finance

10 Most Expensive Places To Visit

Singapore

 Thanks to the struggling economy, the word "vacation" has become taboo -- so taboo that a substitute word, "staycation," was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2009. Although the web is bursting with deals and advice on vacationing on a dime, let's be honest: There are some cities that are, in one word, expensive.

To separate the reputed budget-busters from the truly expensive cities, UBS Wealth Management Research, a Swiss-based global financial services company, conducts a regular Prices and Earnings report, the most recent of which was published in August 2011. The study, which covers 73 of the world's major cities, analyzes economic factors such as currency strength, plus the price levels of travel basics like hotels, food and transportation. 

The good news is that vacationing here in the U.S. has become a much more budget-friendly option, while some of the world's most prevalent tourist spots are edging their prices down into the affordable realm. Still, there are several cities that frugal travelers -- no matter how bargain-savvy they may be -- should avoid. Based on the Prices and Earnings report, here are the 10 cities most likely to devour your travel budget.

Singapore
Average Hotel Price: $204 per night

While the U.S. and Europe are battling an economic crisis, Singapore is flying high. According to UBS' Prices and Earnings report, this destination in southern Asia -- which was ranked No. 24 back in 2009 -- snags 10th place on the current list of most expensive places. This steep price climb correlates with the increasing strength of the Singapore dollar. Although you can still find cheap eats and the occasional bargain hotel, don't expect that to last.

Toronto, Canada

Toronto, Canada (Courtesy of Tourism Toronto)

Average Hotel Price: $133 per night

It used to be the case that Americans living near the northern border would hightail to Canada to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate, but over the past few years, the tables have turned. Now that the Canadian dollar is roughly on par with our greenback, Canada's price tags have become increasingly cringe-worthy. Toronto is an excellent example: Since 2009, the metropolis has climbed from No. 31 to No. 9 on the Prices and Earnings report's list of the most expensive cities.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki, Finland (Niclas Sjöblom/City of Helsinki Tourist & Convention Bureau)

Average Hotel Price: $163 per night

So far, Helsinki has remained relatively untouched by Europe's economic crisis, clocking in at No. 8 on the Prices and Earnings report's list of pricey places. However, Bloomberg reports that the recession may have finally caught up to Finland, with the country's Finance Ministry shrinking its original gross domestic product expansion forecast from 1.8 percent to 0.4 percent. This means that budget travelers may soon be able to knock this dynamic city off their bucket lists.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia (Jacques Grießmayer/Wikimedia Commons )

Average Hotel Price: $172 per night

In 2009, Sydney was ranked 38th on UBS' Prices and Earnings report. Since then, the city has skyrocketed to seventh place, and that's due in part to the Australian dollar's steady rise in worth. Although the Aussie dollar is relatively on par with our own, Sydney's currency has strengthened while the greenback has struggled. That contrast is made apparent through the city's room rates and menu prices.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan (kevinpoh/Flickr )

Average Hotel Price: $163 per night

The bright lights of Tokyo come with shiny price tags. Like Singapore, Japan has weathered the global economic crisis fairly well -- in two years, it's fallen only one spot on the Prices and Earnings report. Although visitors can find plenty of ways to fill their bellies with affordable local cuisine, a convenient hotel will consume a good chunk of money. Yet 2011's earthquake and tsunami will no doubt affect prices in 2012 and 2013. Keep an eye on this one, bargain hunters.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden (eugenijusr/Flick)

Average Hotel Price: $190 per night

Unlike its neighbor, Finland, Sweden has trumped Europe's recession. Stockholm's strong economy has not only allowed the country to weather the storm, but also to rise from the No. 16 spot in 2009 to fifth place on Prices and Earnings report's list of expensive cities. Bargain travelers beware: Sticker-shock is a common side effect of a Stockholm vacation, while the unfavorable exchange rate only fuels the fire.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark (Jim Bahn/Flickr )

Average Hotel Price: $174 per night

Like Helsinki, Copenhagen's price levels haven't been affected by the European recession. Prices and Earnings most recent report shows that Denmark's capital dropped only one place. So while you may find this city's antique shops, intimate restaurants and cozy coffee bars comforting, your wallet sure won't. Travelers will find rates at their highest during the summer months when the weather is ideal for sightseeing. Discounts can be had in winter, but make sure to bundle up.

Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva, Switzerland (Mispahn/Flickr )

Average Hotel Price: $268 per night

Switzerland seems to be vanquishing the Eurozone crisis, with Geneva bumping Copenhagen from the No. 3 spot in the past two years. Unlike the Euro, the Swiss Franc has remained a strong currency throughout the recession, and the city's residents benefit from their country's high wages. In fact, according to the Prices and Earnings report, Switzerland doles out the bulkiest paychecks in the world; Geneva's price tags reflect the residents' hefty buying power.

Zurich, Switzerland (ND Strupler/Flickr)

Zürich, Switzerland
Average Hotel Price: $224 per night

Zürich's residents also welcome Switzerland's generous salaries, surpassing Geneva by a few points on the expensive meter. Unfortunately for travelers, Zürich doesn't offer as many opportunities to nab deals. Prices jump during the summer as people pour in to savor the comfortable temperatures and enjoyable activities on Lake Zürich. During the winter, there's not much of a price break, as snowy weather draws skiers to the nearby Alps. Rates slump briefly in spring and fall, but not by much.

Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway (VisitOSLO/Terje Bakke Pettersen)

Average Hotel Price: $169 per night

Oslo's prices may be staggeringly high, but at least they're consistent. Norway's capital has held on to the No. 1 spot on the UBS Prices and Earnings report's most expensive list since 2006. And it's not just hotels that will gouge travelers' pockets: In 2009, the New York Times noted that a bottle of water costs roughly $6 USD. Money-saving tactics -- like visiting in July or August when most residents are on vacation -- do little to curb the expense of an Oslo trip.

Source: travel

Ways the World Could Actually End in 2012

 2012 is sure to be filled with too many end-of-the-world jokes, and probably a fair amount of genuine fear as well.

But assuming the Mayans were wrong and doomsday isn’t on Dec. 21 this year, you may be wondering how the world as we know it might really end. We’ve collected several scientifically valid scenarios for you to worry about.

Supervolcano

The chances of an earthquake unzipping the world’s fault system are negligible, says seismologist Thorne Lay of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

This is because the energy released by a quake is related to the length of the fault that is ruptured during the event. For example, the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Sumatra quake that triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami and killed nearly 300,000 people, ruptured around 900 miles of a subduction zone fault, the longest ever recorded for a single quake. But the major fault zones that mark boundaries between tectonic plates are not continuous, and irregularities like changes in the type of faulting and the existence of smaller plates with shorter boundaries stop ruptures short of apocalyptic lengths.

But other geologic hazards may have more potential for doom.

“It’s more plausible that you have a truly mammoth eruption,” like an eruption of the supervolcano that lies beneath the Yellowstone National Park area, Lay said. Yellowstone has experienced colossal volcanic explosions in the past, most recently 2 million and 640,000 years ago. Another such mega eruption would be devastating for much of North America, he says.

Giant eruptions have contributed to mass extinctions, including the one that killed off the dinosaurs around 65 million years ago. At that time, volcanoes spewed out a roughly 2,000-foot-deep layer of lava to form part of the 10,000-foot-thick Deccan Traps of India, the world’s largest lava beds, geophysicist Anne-Lise Chenet of the Paris Geophysical Institute wrote in an email. And scientists have also shown that a Siberian volcano may have precipitated the largest extinction on record about 250 million years ago. These blazing behemoths belched out so much sulfur, carbon dioxide and ash that they may have altered the climate enough to collapse the food chain, Lay says.

Yellowstone’s giant volcanic crater has risen about 10 inches in the last decade, suggesting molten rock may be building up underneath. During its lifetime, the megavolcano has probably experienced more than a dozen giant eruptions, Lay says. Lately, it’s been blowing off steam through little vents, but it’s unclear whether it’s gearing up for another Earth-shattering blast.

Asteroid Accident

Asteroids typically top the list of extraterrestrial objects that could hit Earth. A 9-mile wide asteroid that crashed into what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was partly responsible for the dinosaurs’ extinction about 65 million years ago.

The 2004 announcement that 900-foot long Apophis had more than a 2 percent chance of colliding with Earth in 2029 revved up research on asteroid detection and defense, when scientists recalculated the odds down to 1 in 250,000.

Luckily, nothing of that size is in Earth’s path currently, so “we may be safe for at least a few million years,” said planetary scientist Jay Melosh of Purdue University.

But smaller threats may be looming.

NASA expects that roughly every 100 years, an asteroid larger than 55 yards wide will strike. The impact could cause local catastrophes like massive floods, destruction of entire cities and agricultural collapse. Around once every few 100,000 years, chunks of rock more than three-fifths of a mile wide — the equivalent of about 12 New York City blocks — could come tumbling through the atmosphere causing much more serious problems, on a global scale. Acid rain would kill crops, debris would shield Earth from sunlight, and firestorms would ensue, according to NASA’s Near Earth Object Program.

To understand our cosmic risks, scientists are inspecting the solar system to find asteroids that may be heading our way, said UCSC planetary scientist Erik Asphaug. They’ve discovered about 900 of an estimated 1,000 asteroids wider than three-fifths of a mile thought to have an Earth-crossing orbit. None appears to have Earth as its target.

“The plain vanilla odds are very low” that anything already discovered of that size will strike in the near future, Asphaug said. But that doesn’t mean Earth is 100 percent safe.

It’s close to impossible to find every asteroid that could be a threat to Earth.

“There’s always some uncertainty that we’re going to have to live with,” he said. “Or die with.”

Comet Collision

Some of that uncertainty comes from asteroids’ sometimes forgotten cousins, comets. (Comets are made up of ice and dust, while asteroids are made up of rock and metals.)

Hartley 2 came within 11 million miles of Earth on Oct. 20, which was among one of the closest times a comet has gotten to Earth in centuries.

“Comets are especially dangerous because they are coming from farther distances, at higher velocities,” Asphaug said.

Comets zoom through space at almost 100,000 mph and pick up speed due to Earth’s gravitational pull, he said. The faster an object moves, the bigger the force it exerts on whatever it happens to hit and the more energy it deposits. For Earth, that means more damage. For humans, it may spell out R.I.P.

To add insult to potential injury, finding comets in the outer solar system is very difficult because these dirty snowballs are extremely dark.

But when comet gets within about 390 million miles from Earth, the sun heats comets’ dark surface and starts to warm its icy interior, making it spew out the dust and gas that form its distinctively bright tails.

Assuming astronomers developed the technology to discover Earth-bound comets farther away than Jupiter, scientists might have about 10 years before a comet hit Earth in a worst case scenario, Asphaug said.

But “if there’s a 10-kilometer (6-mile) hunk of ice and rock that’s heading straight toward the Earth,” he added, “there aren’t very many options there, except to do the Bruce Willis thing,” and nuke it.

Algal Apocalypse

Another big problem for Earth could come from a tiny source, according to Caltech geobiologist Joe Kirschvink. He raises the possibility that diatoms — a type of microscopic algae that inhabit moist surfaces, lakes, rivers, oceans and soil — could alter Earth’s atmosphere in a fatal way.

These microbes live off fuel produced through photosynthesis, a process that converts light energy (photons) from the sun into energy a cell can use to function (sugar). As they photosynthesize, diatoms break up water into hydrogen and oxygen other organisms can then use to breathe.

But if mutant diatoms couldn’t use water — or other substances in their environment, like iron or hydrogen — they might be tempted to pick salt (sodium chloride) off Earth’s menu of molecules. These diatoms would release poisonous chlorine gas. Assuming the chlorine didn’t kill them and nothing else limited their growth, the diatoms would grow exponentially, setting off a death-by-inhalation doomsday.

“The damn thing could take the world over in a couple of million years,” Kirschvink said.

If his diatomical predictions pan out, it would be the second time biology issued a molecular death sentence for most living organisms on Earth. A similar scenario played out about 2.35 billion years ago when cyanobacteria, a type of blue-green bacteria, learned how to photosynthesize. The bacteria dumped oxygen molecules into the atmosphere — which until then was mostly carbon dioxide — and killed off species that couldn’t tolerate oxygen, Kirschvink says.

“Oxygen molecules at the time were unheard of in the environment,” he said. Once diatoms set in motion the “oxygen apocalypse,” there was no stopping them. They had an advantage over creatures that didn’t like oxygen.

Fortunately for Earth’s inhabitants today, the water microbes need to photosynthesize abounds, so it’s unlikely they’ll set off a chlorine apocalypse any time soon, Kirschvink said.

Killer Contagion

Lately, there’s been a lot of movie-fueled worry surrounding the possibility of a devastating global pandemic. Currently science is contributing to these fears in the form of a highly contagious lab-made variant of the H5N1 virus.

In case you missed it, American and Dutch scientists studying the virus in ferrets made the already deadly virus that much more dangerous by mutating some of its genes. Before the genetic changes were made, the virus could only spread through touch, but the mutations let it survive in the air, allowing it to pass between ferrets without the need for contact. The results sparked panic that the pathogen could leak out of the lab and trigger a pandemic.

But could a virus bring about the end of days?

Probably not, said Peter Katona, whose research at UCLA focuses on biological terrorism preparedness, though it would “wreak havoc.”

A single virus is unlikely to wipe out all humans or animals on Earth because there’s enough diversity that at least some would be resistant, agreed Caltech virologist Alice Huang.

Even the new lab strain of H5N1 virus, which only has five mutations, is similar enough to other versions of the flu virus that people would have some protection against it and it wouldn’t wipe out all life, Huang said.

“For a virus to kill all humans on Earth, it would have to kill rapidly, like a week or less,” Huang said. If it took any longer, the immune system would have time to attack it.

And the virus would have to infect most of the world’s population simultaneously.

Picture thousands of drones disseminating a killer virus with aerosols “to every nook and cranny” of the planet at once, she said.

Or ”you would have to imagine some new (highly virulent) pathogen that lived and reproduced in some unlikely place, like under ice caps or in deep sea water near hydrothermal vents,” she said. Then, the tiny predators would have to be spread far and wide, say by some huge natural disaster.

Because this is highly unlikely, Huang added, even science fiction usually imports apocalyptic pathogens from outer space.

Suicidal Supernova

Supernovas are among the most powerful explosions in the universe and can rival the strength of a few octillion nuclear warheads, according to NASA.

These super-booms come in two varieties: core-collapse supernovas, which happen when a giant star’s core collapses after 5 million to 20 million years of life; and type-1a supernovas which occur when a white dwarf star detonates after its core gets too dense.

In our galaxy, core-collapse supernovas occur two to four times more frequently than type-1a supernovas, says astronomer Todd Thompson of Ohio State University. And in the Milky Way, a core collapse tends to happen every 100 years or so, he says. Luckily, most will happen at a safe distance of 5 to 10 parsecs, or 16.5 to 33 light-years — too far away to do any real damage.

If supernovas occurred randomly throughout the Milky Way, Earth could expect one every 5 billion years. But because they congregate near the Milky Way’s spiral arms, “we would in fact expect to come within 10 parsecs of a supernova nearly every time we pass through a spiral arm, which is about every 100 million years,” Thompson said.

These stellar fireworks produce x-rays, cosmic rays — electrons, protons and nuclei zooming through space at nearly the speed of light, and gamma rays — light waves so powerful they’re capable of killing cells.

A supernova’s radiation would destroy the ozone in the atmosphere, increasing the amount of ultraviolet light that gets through. The UV flash could increase skin cancer rates; set off mass die-offs of bacteria and plankton; and precipitate another ice age, Thompson said.

Orbital Obliteration

Changes in how the planets circle the sun could also knock out Earth.

Jupiter is the most massive planet in the sun’s posse. As such, it tugs at the orbits of the other planets. Over millions of years, the gaseous giant could bully tiny Mercury’s elliptical orbit so much that the farthest distance it travels away from the sun increases, and the closest point gets closer.

As Mercury’s orbit stretches, the swift planet could crash into the sun, according to a 2008 study in theAstrophysical Journal. Alternatively, Mercury could cross Venus’ orbit and then “there’s a very short time until there’s a real disaster,” said UCSC astronomer Greg Laughlin, one of the study’s authors. Venus and Mercury’s kiss of death, he said, “could eject Mars from the solar system.”

But in the worst-case scenario, Mercury and Earth could collide. The impact would destroy Earth even though our planet has about 20 times the mass of Mercury.

Thinking about “orbits going unstable adds a little spice of danger” to planetary science, Laughlin said. But there’s only about a 1 percent chance any of these situations will pan out in the next 5 billion years.

Solar Slaughter

Even if the Earth dodges Mercury, the blue planet eventually will be turned into an oven by the sun, says NASA planetologist Chris McKay.

As the sun burns, the hydrogen in its core converts to helium by fusion, a process through which the nuclei of atoms meld together. Fusion produces a tremendous amount of heat. So as time passes, the 5 billion-year-old star gets hotter and brighter.

In about 1 billion years, scientists predict the sun will shine about 10 percent brighter than it does now. The extra energy will heat Earth to well over 200 F. The oceans will boil off, the climate will collapse and “any kind of real estate won’t be worth anything anymore,” said astrophysicist Klaus-Peter Schrœder of the University of Guanajuato in Mexico.

“We’ll have to look for a new planet.”

Those who don’t want to leave home will have to hope that Schrœder’s colleague, astronomer Robert Smith of the University of Sussex, is right. Smith suggests scientists may be able to enlarge Earth’s orbit by manipulating asteroids visiting our solar system.

Shifting the path of these rocky passers-by so that they move in front of Earth should create a slight pull on the planet and help to speed it up. Earth’s quicker pace would make its orbit slightly larger. If done enough times over millions of years, Earth’s orbit could swell by about 5 percent, which would translate into about 10 percent less solar energy reaching our planet, Schrœder said.

That may only buy the planet time, however. In about 7 billion years, Schrœder says, the sun will bloat into a red giant, a much brighter and voluminous version of its current self.

“It will be so big that the Earth will be inside the sun,” McKay said.

In the meantime, unless Smith’s orbital expansion works out, Earth will almost certainly cook and steam under the sun’s powerful rays.

“Not that I’m a great believer, but credit needs to be given sometimes,” Schrœder quipped. “The Bible’s predictions that we’ll end up in an eternal fire are somewhat accurate.”

Source: dailynewzforu