• Question: Is there an end to the universe?

    Asked by everobbo to Hummy, Lewis, James, Sandra on 7 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 7 Mar 2017:

      There most certainly is, how we determine an ‘end’ is really subjective. Perhaps we are yet to figure our own capabilities!

    • Photo: Lewis Wright

      Lewis Wright answered on 7 Mar 2017:

      This can be answered two ways:

      Is there an end, as in the opposite of the Big Bang? Yes, there are a few different ideas; one is the Big Rip, where the universe expands and expands until it tears itself apart; the Big Crunch is where the universe expands, slows down, and starts contracting, until the ‘opposite’ of the Big Bang happens, potentially ‘Big Bang’-ing again to make a new universe; and what scientists think is most likely to happen, is the Heat Death of the universe, where it is around for so long that every star goes out, every black hole evaporates, and every particle decays until there is nothing left – everything reaches equilibrium, the universe can do no more work, and it stays cold and empty forever. A bit scary, but is billions and billions of years away!

      Is there an end, as in an edge to the universe? As in, could you step out of the universe if you got to the furthest edge? No one knows – no telescope can see that far, and no rocket could ever reach it! If someone figures out how to make wormholes, then maybe we can find out.

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