Possible Fates of the Universe

Hubble Spots Distant Supernovae in Search of Properties of Dark Energy

These are images of three of the most distant supernovae known, discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope as a supernova search engine. The stars exploded back when the universe was approximately half its current age. The light is just arriving at Earth now. Supernovae are so...

Distant Supernova 1 - Before Outburst

Distant Supernova 1 - After Outburst

Distant Supernova 2 - Before Outburst

Distant Supernova 2 - After Outburst

Distant Supernova 3 - Before Outburst

Distant Supernova 3 - After Outburst

The Fate of the Universe: Three Scenarios

Big Crunch

This theoretical animation demonstrates that when Dark Energy fades away and flips in force, it would pull the universe together. This would lead to a "Big Crunch" where the universe ultimately implodes.

Continued Consistent Expansion

This theoretical animation demonstrates that Dark Energy would prove Einstein's cosmological constant is real, the universe would continue to expand at a consistent rate.

Big Rip

This animation demonstrates that if Dark Energy became stronger than Einstein's predictions, the universe would be torn apart. This would lead to a "Big Rip" where the universe ultimately expands so violently that the galaxies, the stars, planets, and finally atoms would come...