The universe is collapsing right now, scientists say. This process is very lengthy. But what will happen when all the stars and planets disappear? And most importantly, for what exactly reason can this happen? Scientists categorize disasters. Some of them relate to individual planets or "solar systems", others - to constellations and galaxies, and still others - to the entire space as a whole.
Death of the universe. Photo: Mark Garlick.
For example, Phobos may someday crash into Mars, forming a dust ring around the Red Planet. Or an asteroid will again fall to Earth, and the unenviable fate of dinosaurs will befall us. But after one and a half billion years, the Sun should increase its brightness so much that the habitable zone will move far beyond the Earth's orbit.
The birth of the universe.
All these horrors are viewed as mere trifles on the scale of the universe. According to scientists, there are three most terrible scenarios that will lead not only to the death of all living things, but also to the disappearance of the matter we are used to as such.
Our Universe is constantly expanding.
First, the universe is known to be expanding. Galaxies are moving away from each other with acceleration, and someday the gravitational connection between them will disappear. Where this will lead, only God knows. It is possible that the weakening gravity will lead to the dispersion of matter. Or chaos will arise in the movement of the stars, after which they begin to massively collide with each other.
Collision of space objects.
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Secondly, let's remember about dark energy, which is still known to science at a theoretical level. Will it not dominate space, turning the universe into a very dark and cold infinite space? If this happens, the stars will be deprived of the material to form themselves. When the temperature drops to absolute zero everywhere, the movement of atoms will stop.
Finally, dark energy can gain so much strength that it will simply tear apart the space of the universe, finally breaking the resistance to gravity. Then all kinds of matter will collapse by themselves.
Ghostly dark energy can destroy everything.
Third, the universe may contract. Outer space could theoretically stop expanding and begin to pull together again. Imagine that all galaxies, constellations and stellar systems suddenly rush to a single center. The force of gravity will constantly increase, and the speed of convergence will increase. Finally, the universe can fit at the tip of the needle. This is how it all began, and this may end. Then all matter will reach the point of singularity and will also cease to exist in any form.
Shrinking the Universe.
As representatives of science explain, sooner or later one of the apocalyptic scenarios will work, but new universes will come to replace ours, and everything will repeat itself all over again.
The birth of new universes.