A graphical representation of The Big Rip, The Big Freeze, and The Big Crunch in relation to the rate of cosmic expansion.
The final fate of our cosmos remains a mystery.
Each outcome has its flaws and likelihoods, each becoming more convincing as further research is conducted..
Although the end of the universe as we know it is still very uncertain, there are four theories that aim to put us closer to understanding this aforementioned inconceivable concept: a heat death, The Big Crunch, The Big Rip, and vacuum decay..
The Big Crunch hypothesis is a symmetric view of the ultimate fate of the universe.
Just as the theorized Big Bang started as a cosmological expansion, this theory assumes that the average density of the universe will be enough to stop its expansion and the universe will begin contracting..
The universe will slowly cool to absolute zero: a heat death will occur.
Life will be unable to exist.
The Universe will collapse in on itself: If the mean density exceeds the critical density, then the expansion of the universe will eventually cease, and the universe will begin to contract..
Several possible futures have been predicted by different scientific hypotheses, including:
Just as Robert Frost imagined two possible fates for the Earth in his poem, cosmologists envision two possible fates for the universe:
Factors that need to be considered in determining the universe's origin and ultimate fate include:
The ultimate fate of the universe is a topic in physical cosmology, whose theoretical restrictions allow possible scenarios for the evolution and ultimate fate of the universe to be described and evaluated.
