The universe will end one day: it’s an inevitable event and will eventually happen. But how will it unfold, and why? Below, we’ll explore several theories that scientists have come up with regarding this matter.
The Universe
First, a quick introduction: the universe is always expanding, at a rate of 67.5 kilometers (41.9 miles) per second per megaparsec to be exact. This rate of expansion is also accelerating every single second. To simplify this idea, imagine a balloon expanding. However, while the balloon is expanding into space, the universe is actually stretching space-time itself. The reason why this growth accelerates is due to an interesting phenomenon due to dark energy.
So what is dark energy? Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly, because no one really knows. What we do know is that it’s a hypothetical form of energy that keeps the universe expanding with acceleration. It is also anti-gravity. While gravity brings in and draws cosmic objects together, anti-gravity drives these objects apart. It provides a pressure that fills the universe to keep on stretching time and space.
Big Rip
When we say that the universe is expanding, it doesn't mean that the edge of the universe is expanding, because there is no such thing as an “edge of the universe”. As explained earlier, the universe is like that of a balloon. A balloon has no edge. But when the balloon expands, the rubber expands everywhere equally. This is the same for the universe, as new space is created everywhere equally.
Space between and within galaxies expands because of the creation of these new spaces. But because of gravity, the new space doesn’t cause any trouble, because it can keep them together in their place. However, when the expansion of the universe gets too fast, gravity can no longer compensate for this effect, resulting in what’s called the “big rip”. In the beginning, only large galaxies are torn apart. However, as time goes by planets, black holes, and stars start to die, causing them to dissolve. Towards the end, even atoms will start to disband. The entire universe will dissolve into lonely particles that cannot interact with each other in a timeless universe.
Big crunch
Another way the universe could come to an end is the “big crunch”. Scientists believe that there is a large amount of dark energy in our universe. However, if there is less dark energy than expected or the amount of dark energy decreases, the rate of expansion of the universe will decrease and the expansion of the universe will stop. Gravity will become the dominant force in our universe. The universe will now start to shrink as gravity will bring everything closer. If the universe shrinks, the temperature of the universe will increase rapidly, atom cores will be ripped apart and black holes will devour everything that exists, even the universe itself.
This all may seem really daunting, but don't worry; this won't happen for about 22 billion years or even longer. For now, let's just focus on keeping our own planet Earth habitable for now.
Works Cited
Aidan Remple (2022). Will The Universe Ever End? [online] WorldAtlas. Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/space/will-the-universe-ever-end.html [Accessed 1 May 2024].
Lea, R. (2022). What is dark energy? [online] Space.com. Available at: https://www.space.com/dark-energy-what-is-it [Accessed 1 May 2024].
What If Show. (2020). What If the Big Rip Happened Tomorrow? | What If Show. [online] Available at: https://whatifshow.com/what-if-the-big-rip-happened-tomorrow/ [Accessed 1 May 2024].
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