We
all understand how the universe was formed through the Big Bang and
inflation. Have you ever wondered
how everything will end? Although
we will not be around to see it (and probably not even our great, great, great,
great grandchildren), scientists do have an expected timeline of what will happen.
In
terms of the extinction of organisms on Earth, the chances of survival are
quite slim and we would not make it much farther than 100 Million years from
now when we are likely to see Niagara Falls eroding, an extinction involving volcanic
explosions, and a meteorite crashing into us. But the universe will also go through some interesting
changes before the end of it all.
The
Sun will burn through its hydrogen make up and begin to burn helium, which
leads to it expanding out further, getting hotter, into a stage we call the
“Red Giant”. The Earth’s oceans
will evaporate and it’s orbit will widen with the expanding Sun until it is
swallowed into the Sun with Mercury and Venus. Sounds pleasant… right?
In
8 billion years, the Sun will become a white dwarf as it goes through the
stages of being a dying star. Once
the Sun is gone, our entire solar system will be no more. But there is no way for us to know what
will happen to the Universe after this.
There are many theories and I would like to share one that I
particularly enjoy.
The
Big Rip holds the idea that because the universe is expanding at an increasing
rate, it will just keep accelerating more and more. Since we also do not know how dark energy works, this theory
makes a wide, and not well supported, assumption that it will act in a way that
is strong enough to pull apart the protons and nucleons of every element until
the universe goes backwards into becoming nothing once again. I believe that there is no way to say
that the laws of physics will be able to maintain in an ever-expanding
universe, so I believe it is valid to say that they will break down when the
universe pulls too far.
Although
it is fun to speculate about, there are so many questions about what will
happen to the universe as we know it.
And as the great Hank Green once said “ when you’re trying to figure out
the nature of the universe from a tiny rock in deep space, there are no stupid
questions.” (Youtube)
Sources: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJtCTIktZUc
Personally, I am of the belief that humans will wipe each other out far before the sun gets the chance to do so. If we're lucky, we'll make it to the point where global warming causes us to become extinct, but more likely someone will create and use a weapon capable of destroying human life on earth even before that.
ReplyDeletePessimism aside, the universe will go on without us, and I think it's fascinating to consider what will happen. One question I have is what happens to planets in a solar system when their star dies? Do they drop out of orbit and float around or are they annihilated into smaller forms of matter?
Lauren, I agree with your post as well as Kolin's post. I also believe we will ruin earth before out planets ruin it for us. It scares me, I must say, to think about the Sun becoming a white dwarf and the oceans evaporating. However, I agree when you say we will be far gone by the time this takes place. Unfortunately, you are correct. It is very difficult to assume what will happen in the future as well as whether or not the laws of physic will continue to apply to the new atmosphere. Our laws of physics may be so far gone that they will have been recreated to be relevant to the new universe with the absence of oceans and hydrogen-less sun.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post, Lauren. Like you said, it is very interesting to think about what will happen to our universe and what will happen to humans. I found a video that discusses this in further detail and highlights the idea that the force of dark energy will continue to accelerate the expansion of the universe until distant galaxies disappear, which could create black holes.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWnduAnxLQ4
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ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteNice post! I especially like the title, and really sparked my interest in wanting to read your blog. I think how the Universe will end is a frightening yet fascinating idea mainly because there are so many different and unique ways it can happen, yet we will never really know which one will occur. I agree with your assumption that the Big Rip is the most interesting one. It seems odd to think that the Universe will continue accelerating in its expansion without ever really effecting the normality of things, and the idea that dark energy can create so much pressure as to cause a tear doesn't seem all that far fetched. While you went into this theory in more detail, I think the other two other widely known ones are worth noting as well: the Big Crunch, where critical density becomes too high and gravity slows down expansion, allowing the Universe to collapse; and the Big Freeze, where critical density is too low and gravity isn't able to hold everything together, allowing the Universe to expand continually and cool down tremendously.
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/105588/how-will-the-universe-end/
Very interesting post, Lauren. I find the different theories on the end of our universe to be incredibly fascinating, and your post offers great insight into one of these possibilities. It is definitely scary to think about how our universe will end, but thankfully we won't be here to experience it. One thing the Big Rip does not explain is what will happen to our planets and moon when the sun becomes a Red Giant and eventually becomes a dying star. I'm curious to see what other theories present themselves as our technology improves and new discoveries are made about the universe we live in.
ReplyDelete