Death of the Universe

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the acclaimed documentary series the Known Universe concerning the ultimate end of our universe.

The Big Crunch  

In the farthest reaches of space, a volatile battle is taking place between two forces so great, they may eventually destroy the very universe itself. Known as Dark Matter and Dark Energy, these opposing forces have the capacity to rip apart the universe apart atom-by-atom.

The Big Crunch 

While scientists have previously theorized about a "Big Crunch" where the universe retracts back to its original size, the discovery of Dark Matter and Dark Energy has placed that hypothesis on the backburner. Some astronomers now believe that if Dark Energy offsets Dark Matter then as the universe slowly expands, stars will gradually fade, running out of fuel and leading to a dark, cold and lifeless universe.

Future Fates of a dark-energy universe

Others hypothesize a much more violent end where Dark Energy continues to expand the universe at a greater and greater speed. Stronger than gravity, Dark Energy would pull apart everything down to the fundamental particles -- the universe's very fibers.  While the universe's end may be 50 billion years away, great leaps in science will continue to alter how we believe the universe was formed -- and how it will end.

The Big Rip

This and other exciting episodes of the Known Universe can be purchased from the National Geographic Channel’s online store.  

The Known Universe - Death of the Universe


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