If Dark Energy is Decreasing, is the Big Crunch Back on the Menu? Universe May End Sooner Than Thought
Hey, Space PLACERS! Estimated division of total energy in the universe into matter, dark matter and dark energy (Credit : NASA/WMAP Science Team) Here is a must read story that is cutting edge about the POSSIBLE future of our Universe: For generations, humans have gazed at the stars and wondered about the ultimate fate of the Universe. Will it expand forever into the cold emptiness, or meet a more dramatic end? A new study published by physicists from Cornell University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and other institutions suggests we may finally have an answer, and it's surprisingly specific. Using data from a number of astronomical surveys including the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, the researchers have developed a model that predicts our Universe will end in a "Big Crunch" in approximately 33.3 billion years. Since the Universe is currently 13.8 billion years old, this gives us roughly 20 billion years before the curtain falls! ---...
