2007-06-21 14:33:00 · 7 answers · asked by flowerjuniper 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Three possibilities.
The universe expands forever.
The universe stops expanding and starts to contract, due to gravity.
The universe keeps expanding ever more slowly. It never quite stops, but after a while it's expanding very slowly.
The astronomers try to measure a number called Omega to decide which is going to happen. If it's less than one, the first happens, more than one, the second, and exactly one the third. It's hard (you need the mass and size of the Universe) and they can't tell what Omega is, although it seems to be close to one, give or take a little.
But it could be one, and one theory of the formation of the Universe says it is exactly one.
2007-06-21 16:34:53 · answer #1 · answered by Bob 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The current theory holds that the Universe will continue to expand until it meets with a "Heat Death", that is, that it will completely freeze due to the loss of energy which makes suns burn.
But that's billions of years from now, anything can happen in between that time. Our advances in technology, maybe millions of years from now, might allow this to be prevented, that is, if some existing super advanced alien race out there hasn't gotten it worked out already and this solution to the problem just hasn't hit our side of the Universe yet, or, maybe it has and we just haven't realised it. :)
2007-06-21 23:15:56 · answer #2 · answered by Abstract 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Universe is moving away, expanding. But like a rubber band that reaches the end of its elasticity, it is believed that it will all just reach a point of "no further" and reverse. It will be the big bang, but backwards; so the universe would coalesce into itself again to the point of singularity.
But i'm almost *certain* that *we* don't have to worry about it. Because it won't happen any time soon. ;D
2007-06-21 22:41:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
All data points to the fact that the universe is accelerating in it's expansion and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This just means that everything will get colder and more separated. Modern theory does not predict a collapsing universe.
2007-06-21 23:03:04 · answer #4 · answered by mistofolese 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the universe expands the density of space diminishes,when it reaches a minimum density it can't exist any longer and goes out of existence.
It has a maximum size and this is the point where space vanishes.
Galaxies process matter returning it to a quantum state of minimum density space the farthest galaxies we see do not exist now.
When the space-time pulse that spawned this universe stops it will be in the first stages of it's demise.
2007-06-22 09:07:03 · answer #5 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
If the vacuum (space itself) stops expanding.....the outcome would probably be entropy.
Then the galaxies would start moving toward one another, and the clusters into themselves, and eventually the universe may undergo a "big crunch".
2007-06-21 21:48:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The current belief is that it will never stop expanding. The theory of what would happen if it did is called "the big crunch," which is sort of like the big bang in reverse. You can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Crunch
2007-06-21 21:39:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋