When will the star arcturus die?

Answer 1

We can't accurately predict that kind of thing, but here's what we do know about Arcturus: first of all, it's pretty big and pretty close, so we can observe it more easily than other stars that are a lot farther away. It's in the very late stages of its life. We know this, because by examining its spectrum, we see that it has exhausted nearly all its hydrogen, and is now fusing helium into the heavier elements oxygen and carbon in its core. This is a dead giveaway that a star is in its final years. However, stars like Arcturus live for a billion years or more, so this home stretch could last for millions of years. Eventually, it will shed off its layers in a spectacular nova explosion, then settle down into white dwarf status.