Is the universe going to continually expand?

Question

until it loses all cohesion, or will gravity ultimately begin to draw it together again, until it collapses and the big bang begins again?

Answer 1

The jury is still out on this one. In until recently (the past few years) most scientists agreed with the Big Crunch theory, that the inertia of the expansion would eventually yeid to gravity, and the universe would collpase in on itself. Even Stephen Hawking believed this theory. But a few years ago. "Dark Energy" was discovered. It occupies the vast spaces between the stars and galaxies, that was originally thought to be only a vacuum. That darkmatter is providing a "pushing out" affect. So now I would say that the majority of cosmologists believe it will expand forever.

Answer 2

There is no edge. Think of the universe as the surface of a balloon (only with more dimensions, and able to expand forever without popping), not as pancake batter spreading in a pan. As a balloon expands, no new material is created. And even though two dots on the balloon get further apart the more it expands, they remain part of a whole that circles back on itself. Now think of the balloon as infinitely big. It doesn't make sense to ask what it expands into, since no matter how far you traveled along it, you could never reach an edge.

Answer 3

The evidence at this point is that the expansion is accelerating, so it will continue forever. However,there are some people that think the acceleration is an illusion caused by the fact that the universe is not perfectly smooth. If they are right, the 'Dark Energy' may not actually be there. At this point, it is not clear what would happen to the large-scale structure of the universe in this case. The math involved is incredibly difficult, so it is hard to compare the Dark energy models to the anisotropic models against observed data.

The upshot: probably the universe will continue to expand, but the jury is still out on that.

Answer 4

In Theory they believe it will expand until gravity overcomes the inertia. Then it contract back into another Big Bang. This is my understanding. Another possibility would be it expand beyond the pull of gravity and continue to expand and disperse into space.

Answer 5

The Universe, due to it's current state of acceleration, could very well be in the process of merging with another unforseen Universe. Much in the same way that galaxies collide. A Universe is born, it expands, merges, then goes through same same process all over again, infinitely.

Answer 6

I think it is expanding, and that it always has, the end of the universe though is when it contrasts. I think the universe is always growing, and it will until another "big-bang" happens somewhere else, then that universe will need room to expand. Though if there is infinite room in space than we can keep expanding.

Answer 7

No,it is a finite entity,eventually it will reach a maximum size,when space is at a minimum pressure it will begin to go out of existence.
The method of its own demise is a difficult thing to imagine.
It will not expand forever and it will not reverse its course and shrink back to a big crunch!!

Answer 8

Gravity will ultimately collapse all matter for the next heart beat.

Answer 9

well i think the universe is expanding continuously and also our galaxy moving continuously .as far our brain can handle we are moving on an endless journey ,so i think there will not be a big bang again coz universe is enifinite.

Answer 10

Definitely - UNTIL - it begins to do the 'opposite' = contract
This physical reality is one of nothing BUT opposites . . .