Researchers have calculated the likely date on which the universe will end, following the publication of a new study by scientists from Cornell University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and other institutions.
What the Big Crunch means
The research suggests that the universe will begin to shrink after reaching its maximum size, then collapse inward to a single point. Known as the "Big Crunch", this essentially reverses the Big Bang – the theory proposing that the universe grew from an original point, forming matter, space, and time.
The researchers forecast that the Big Crunch will happen in roughly 33.3 billion years. Given that the universe is 13.8 billion years old, Earth and all other worlds have approximately 20 billion years before facing extinction, the study indicates.
Role of dark energy
The research relies on a hypothesis that the universe will keep expanding like a "rubber band", until the elastic tension overpowers the expansion, forcing everything to rebound inward. Central to this hypothesis is dark energy – an enigmatic force comprising around 70 per cent of the observable universe. Scientists have long considered it the engine driving universal expansion.
Yet findings have prompted some researchers to believe this force might be variable. This suggests it can only stretch so far before contracting again. Under a new model proposed by researchers, the universe will continue to expand but at an increasingly slow pace. Once it hits its maximum size – approximately 69% larger than its current state – a slow contraction will commence.
Earth's distant future
It's improbable that Earth will still exist when the universe rebounds to its starting point. In 20 billion years' time, our sun will have died, and our galaxy will have crashed into the nearby Andromeda – according to another forecast.
