Need to know
Scientists warn the universe could collapse in a ‘Big Crunch’ as weakening dark energy causes the cosmos to shrink into giant black holes
- A new scientific study suggests the universe will end much sooner than we originally thought. Instead of lasting for trillions of years, experts now believe the cosmos has a much tighter expiration date.
- Researchers estimate the universe only has about 19.5 billion years left before it collapses. Since the Big Bang happened 13.8 billion years ago, we are already nearly halfway through the life of the cosmos.
- The previous “heat death” theory is being replaced by a more violent “Big Crunch” finale. It means the universe will stop growing and start shrinking, eventually crushing everything back into a single point.
- The entire fate of space and time depends on a mysterious, invisible force called dark energy. While scientists used to think the force was constant, new data suggests it might be weakening over time.
- If dark energy continues to lose its strength, gravity will finally take over and pull the universe back together. It works like a film being played in reverse, where galaxies that were flying apart suddenly start rushing toward each other.
- Experts believe that as the universe shrinks, all matter will be squeezed into giant black holes. The massive voids would eventually swallow everything up, hiding the final “crunch” from view.
- Even before the universe collapses, our own Milky Way galaxy is on a collision course with its neighbour, Andromeda. The massive galactic crash is expected to happen in about four to ten billion years, long before the ultimate end.
- While the findings are terrifying, the theory still needs to be rigorously tested with more data. Scientists are waiting for more information from the Dark Energy Survey Instrument next year to see if the model holds up.
- Read the full article here: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/boffins-reveal-universe-end-its-37098687
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