How much time/lifespan does the sun of Athas have left?

Question

I realize that magic ignores physics, and that RPGs are notoriously inaccurate... but I'm curious if a close enough or approximate answer can be deduced from the existing lore.

Given that, do the changes to the sun of Athas match up with any scientifically known stellar life cycle. If so, roughly how much lifespan can be estimated for the sun of Athas to have left, barring further meddling or tampering with the star?

After all, there is a proven linkage between Athas and Earth in the game rules.

Regardless of scientific or magical, I'm curious if there is any indication in the published material as to what type or category of star Athas' sun would be given if humans from Earth made it to Athas?

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I am looking for a rough estimate if possible, well reasoned justification if not. 2e, 3e, & 4e, and the book series lore are valid sources. I'm not looking for a edition specific answer, but a general answer from the published material.

Answer 1

The sun of Athas doesn't follow known stellar evolution.

This is difficult to answer in a D&D context, since the sources don't explain how exactly magic was used to transform the sun, or whether the real-world laws of astrophysics apply in the Dark Sun setting.

We only know that the inhabitants of Athas used powerful magic to transform the sun from blue to yellow to solve an ecological crisis; later this magic was used to steal energy from the sun and turn it a dark crimson. An assumption that this was done by "aging" the sun along its standard stellar evolution would be speculation, and any deductions made from this would not constitute Dark Sun canon.

However, the closest star type in known astronomy would be a brown dwarf, based on its appearance. According to Wikipedia, tidal forces could trigger a greenhouse effect on orbiting planets, which would eventually render Athas uninhabitable. This could explain the planet's desert-like climate.

According to the Wikipedia entry, a brown dwarf cools quickly, with even the largest ending fusion within 10 million years. Eventually, they will cool to the point where they are no longer considered a star, but rather a gas giant. All life on Athas would likely be extinct long before then.