The Fate of the Universe

Science

How will the universe end? Scientists have mapped out several possible futures depending on the nature of dark energy. From the Big Freeze to the Big Rip to the Big Crunch, each scenario is stranger and more dramatic than anything in human experience.

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11
Questions
5–10 min
Time
Q1 Question 1 of 11

What is the Big Freeze scenario for the end of the universe?

Q2 Question 2 of 11

Approximately how long will the last red dwarf stars survive in the Big Freeze scenario?

Q3 Question 3 of 11

What is Hawking radiation, and why is it relevant to the ultimate fate of the universe?

Q4 Question 4 of 11

What is the Big Rip scenario?

Q5 Question 5 of 11

What is the Big Crunch scenario?

Q6 Question 6 of 11

Which fate of the universe does current evidence most strongly support?

Q7 Question 7 of 11

What is the cosmological horizon, and why is it growing in importance?

Q8 Question 8 of 11

What is the Big Bounce hypothesis?

Q9 Question 9 of 11

What is the concept of entropy, and why does it determine the ultimate fate of the universe?

Q10 Question 10 of 11

What will happen to our own Milky Way galaxy in the far future, even within the Big Freeze scenario?

Q11 Question 11 of 11

What roughly is the timescale for the last stellar black holes to evaporate via Hawking radiation?