EXPLANATION: How will our UNVERSE END? Although the universe started
with a BIG BANG, analysis of cosmological measurements allows a
possibility that it will end with a BIG RIP. As soon as few billion
years from now, the controversial scenario holds, DARK ENERGY will grow
to such a magnitude that our own Milky Way Galaxy will no longer be able
to hold itself together. After that, stars, planets, and then even atoms
might not be able to withstand the expansive internal force. Previously,
speculation on the ultimate fate of the universe centered on either a
re-collapsing BIG CRUNCH or a BIG FREEZE. Although the universe's fate
is still a puzzle, piecing it together will likely follow from an
increased understanding of the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
2007 © Illustration Credit & Copyright: Lynette Cook
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