Universe is Dying ‘Much Quicker’ than We Thought, Scientists Say

The universe is dying a lot faster than previously thought, according to scientists. But the news is not an immediate cause for concern after the end is bookmarked a long way into the future. In fact, the calculation for the time the universe is believed to end is 10^78, or a one with 78 zeroes, years away. The formula is the time it will take for white dwarf stars to entirely decay – which are regarded as the most long-lasting objects in the universe, and should theoretically stay around longest.

“The ultimate end of the universe comes much sooner than expected, but fortunately it still takes a very long time,” said Heino Falcke, a black hole expert who was lead author on the new paper.

The findings build on the theory of Hawking radiation, which was first proposed by Stephen Hawking in 1975. He suggested that it was possible for black particles and radiation to escape from a black hole. At the edge, two particles would form, with one being sucked into the black hole and another escaping. Through this process, the black hole decays at a slow rate and eventually becomes particles and radiation. Hawking postulated that black holes leak radiation, slowly dissolving like aspirin in a glass of water – giving them a finite lifetime…

The paper from Radboud University, in the Netherlands was compiled by a trio of scientists.

“The final end of the universe is coming much sooner than expected but fortunately it still takes a very long time,” added lead author Heino Falcke.

The study’s scientists looked at a variety of objects in the universe, calculating that the “evaporation time” depends on density. This then enabled the team to calculate the theoretical dissolution of the longest-lasting body, the white dwarf…

This theory is highly likely not going to be an issue for the human race as unless we manage to escape the planet, we will be long gone – scientists think that the Sun will be too hot for life in about a billion years, boiling our oceans.

Scientists believe that our Sun will be too hot for life in about a billion years, boiling our oceans and prematurely avoiding the end-of-universe fate.

Rob Currell

The Daily Express