The Future of the Universe



A diagram depicting possible Universe futures
Click on image for full size (40K JPG)
Image courtesy of STScI
   What will happen to the Universe? Will it last forever or will it end? That question has been around for a long long time. We may still be unable to answer it. But we are at least able to predict certain possiblities. In our current view of the Universe there are 2 possible futures.

One possiblity is that the Universe will come to an end in the opposite of a Big Bang called The Big Crunch. In this kind of Universe there would be enough material to stop the Universe's expansion. The universe would turn around and collpase again. It might even blow up again in another Big Bang.

The other possibility is that we live in an Eternal Universe that will never come to end. The Universe would just continue to expand forever. It would get very cold and dark. Eventually all stars would die and there would be no more starlight in the Universe.

Back to Cosmology

The Future of the Universe



A diagram depicting possible Universe futures
Click on image for full size (40K JPG)
Image courtesy of STScI
   What will be the fate of the Universe? Will it last forever or will it end? That question has been in our thoughts since humanity first began to think. We may still be far from answering the question definitively, but we are at least able to predict certain possiblities. In our current view of the Universe there are 2 possible futures.

One possiblity is that the Universe will come to an end in the opposite of a Big Bang called The Big Crunch.

The other possibility is that we live in an Eternal Universe that will never come to end.

Back to Cosmology

The Future of the Universe



A diagram depicting possible Universe futures
Click on image for full size (40K JPG)
Image courtesy of STScI
   What will be the fate of the Universe? Will it last forever or will it end? That question has been in our thoughts since humanity first began to think. We may still be far from answering the question, but we are at least able to predict certain possiblities. In our current model of the Universe there are 2 possible futures.

One possiblity is that the Universe will come to an end in the opposite of a Big Bang called The Big Crunch.

The other possibility is that we live in an Eternal Universe that will never come to end.

Back to Cosmology


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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