The universe’s end could be the “big rip” if its density is insufficient, causing all objects to fall apart. The “big crunch” could happen if the density is high enough, while the “big tear” could occur if it’s too low. However, recent data suggests the “great freeze” is the most likely end, where the universe becomes too large to transfer energy and freezes.
The “big rip” is a theoretical way the universe could end up, depending on its total density, which is hard to determine. Observations by astronomers and physicists show that the universe as a whole continues to expand and that objects within it, such as galaxies, are moving away from each other at an increasing rate. If this expansion and increased acceleration continued indefinitely due to insufficient density in the universe, then all objects would start falling apart. In the great rift, galaxies would initially be broken up, followed by stars and planets, and finally atoms and other particles would be destroyed at the end of the universe.
There is much that remains unknown about the universe, but some theories can be built. Observations show that it is expanding, that bodies within it such as galaxies are moving away from each other. The rate of this expansion appears to be increasing or accelerating, which means that something other than the initial force of the Big Bang must be accelerating them. This force is usually referred to as “dark energy” or “repulsive gravity.”
Once the idea of dark energy was established, a question arose as to how the acceleration of the universe will play out over time. The answer to this question largely depends on the mass of the universe, as this determines how the expansion might change in the future. If this value is high enough, beyond an amount referred to as the ‘critical density’, then the universe will eventually collapse on itself, an event called the ‘big crunch’.
On the other hand, if the density of the universe is too far below this value, the acceleration will not stop. In fact, it will increase over time and, in about 20 billion years, an event called the “big tear” could occur. At this point, the acceleration would be so great that objects within the universe would begin to separate.
The big rip would start with large objects; galaxies disintegrate and the various star systems within them expand away from galactic centers. As acceleration continued, star systems would be torn apart and planets would leave their orbits around the stars to expand out into space. At some point, stars and planets would no longer be held together and these objects would be torn apart into particles and atoms. Toward the end of the great tear, the atoms themselves would be separated and disintegrated.
According to recent data, however, this end-of-the-universe model is quite unlikely. While the density of the universe doesn’t appear to be sufficient for the big crunch, it is probably too high for the big tear to occur. The most popular theory of the end of the universe is called the “great freeze.” In this model, heat death occurs when the universe becomes so large that energy transfer is impossible and it simply freezes.
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