Key Points:
Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains why the universe won’t end in fire, but fade into a cold, dark emptiness through the Heat Death, or the Big Freeze.
Dark energy, the mysterious force overpowering gravity, is stretching space so aggressively that galaxies may one day tear apart at a scale science cannot yet measure.
As the cosmic forces and cosmology are unpredictable, future scientific advancements may cause the ending in a different way, one we cannot calculate at present.
In a podcast on his YouTube channel Star Talk, Neil DeGrasse Tyson talks about the various ways the universe will cease to exist. The podcast also features Chuck Nice, an American stand up comedian and media host. The episode, published on May 1, 2024 describes the three ways in which the universe will most likely end. Tyson talks about the three theories: The Heat Death of the Universe (or The Big Freeze), The Big Rip and The Big Crunch.
What’s surprising to note here, is that the universe will not end by becoming a fireball, as common presumption and previous scientific notion explains. Tyson describes that by the end, which will be millions of years from now, the universe will become a cold, dark place. It will most likely become an icy, deserted place where the universe will run out of gas, the stars will die out and cosmic entities such as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes will cease to exist.
Renowned Astrophysicist and scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who is also known for his outspoken views on atheism and religion, says that eventually, the universe, which consists of all our planets, numerous galaxies such as the milky way and the stars, will exhaust itself. They will not be able to replenish their fuel, and it will be a slow, silent fading of all cosmic activity. Tyson emphasised on the fact that as the universe expands, it won’t get bigger, rather emptier.
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Tyson notes that based on scientific theories and processes, the universe is expanding at a rapid acceleration rate. The reason behind its expansion is dark energy, a gigantic cosmic force that is able to counter the gravitational force. This expansion will push the galaxies further apart, and billions of years from now on, the cosmic lights will go out. He uses the example of a rubber band that when stretched, breaks out after its elasticity is over.
Recent scientific research has shown that this rate of expansion however, might be slow or decelerate, as opposed to its rapid expansion. This phenomenon will then prolong life further. However, we might witness something different altogether in the future as the unpredictable nature of cosmology might produce different astonishing scientific results.
Chuck and Tyson joke about how it's not going to occur in their own lifetimes. The possible time frame is 10 to the 100th power of years, which is an infinite amount of time, one that our generation will definitely not witness. Tyson explains that earlier theories such as the Big Crunch, which states that gravity would reverse the expansion of space and shrink the universe, doesn’t hold a solid ground now, given modern scientific advancements.
Tyson points out the fact that although current scientific advancements explain this, centuries later new discoveries might provide alternative explanations as to how the universe will end. He explains this by citing an example, that if we look at the problems of the people of the 20th Century, they are much more different that the problems of today’s generation. Similarly, the problems of the 22nd Century would be much more different than the problems we face today. Thus, as time goes on and cosmic forces and energy are unpredictable in their nature, the universe can have several different alternatives of ending.
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Tyson explains that the Universe is expanding. As long as the universe is going to continue its expansion, the stars will inevitably exhaust their gases and other fuels. This will obviously happen millions of years from now on. In this process, Tyson explains further, that the stars will die. However, many stars such as in the milky way galaxy, will have residual gases left. These residual gases will provide further lives to the stars and the galaxies. But, Tyson adds that as soon as these residual gases will fade out, the universe will cease to exist.
Tyson adds further that as white dwarfs and black holes will end, millions of years from now on, further breaking up of atomic particles will occur. These protons and neutrons will evaporate eventually, and everything will be scattered. The universe will be lifeless, contain no cosmic or celestial phenomenon and an icy cold, near absolute zero temperature will surround it. Tyson notes: “The universe will not die with a bang, but with a whimper, and not in fire, but in ice.” To this, Chuck lightly responds that it would be a cold death.
The more the universe expands, the more the vacuum will be there, Tyson explains. This expansion will happen because of the unchecked rapid acceleration of the universe, which will lead to gigantic forces of electromagnetism. This will cause the universe to stretch beyond its limit, and presently scientific calculations cannot comprehend the physical force with which the universe will expand, and then rip apart, Tyson adds.
Tyson says that this rapid acceleration of the universe will continue, however, if by some cosmological process the speed slows down, and the universe might recollapse back together, it will be a different scenario altogether. In that case, things will happen in the exact opposite way, from cool to hot, from icy nothingness to a fireball. This is the Big Crunch. However, no scientific advancements propose this theory in the present scenario.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson provides quite comprehensive explanations of the ways our universe might cease to exist. However, this end of the universe will occur long after we are gone, a lifetime of billions of trillions of years that our human selves cannot comprehend. On that note, Chuck adds that it's important that rather than worrying about the future, we should focus on our present. He says that “We are terrible stewards of the future, because we are terrible stewards of the present.” The podcast ends on this note, explaining in a weird philosophical way that we should make the most of life now, rather than waiting for the future.
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