THE SHREDDING OF THE UNIVERSE
Scientists have been theorizing about the death of the universe since they imagined the existence of the universe. A new theory put forth by Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth University predicts that a "phantom energy" will rip apart the universe down to its very atomic structure and time itself. The theory was put forth in accordance with astronomical observations made in the late 90's: That the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing acceleration, and that some force is acting as a vacuum so that everything moves outward.
Caldwell bases his theory on one mahor question: What would happen if the rate of acceleration increased? The proposed answer is that the eventual rate would overcome the force of gravity right down to the nuclear forces of the subatomic world.
Caldwell states, "The expansion becomes so fast that it literally rips apart all bound objects. It rips apart clusters of galaxies. It rips apart stars. It rips apart planets and solar systems. And it eventually rips atpart all matter." Caldwell calls this phenomenon "The Big Rip."
The known acceleration of the universe is driven by dark energy, a new concept that is thought by scientists to be "anti-gravity working over large distances." A majority of scientists believe that the acceleration is growing and will perpetually continue to grow at a constant rate. This is comparable to a car moving 5mph faster with each mile traveled. At the projected rate, all things in space will eventually recede from one another at the speed of light. Within 100 billion years, each galaxy would be alone in an empty universe.
The Big Rip theory proposes that dark energy becomes even more forcefull as a repelling agent over time. Rather than a car accelerating 10mph every mile, the car would begin to accelerate every half mile, then every yard, then every inch.
All of the information I have described was gleaned from an article by Robert Roy Britt, a writer for the website of SPACE.
Scientists have been theorizing about the death of the universe since they imagined the existence of the universe. A new theory put forth by Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth University predicts that a "phantom energy" will rip apart the universe down to its very atomic structure and time itself. The theory was put forth in accordance with astronomical observations made in the late 90's: That the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing acceleration, and that some force is acting as a vacuum so that everything moves outward.
Caldwell bases his theory on one mahor question: What would happen if the rate of acceleration increased? The proposed answer is that the eventual rate would overcome the force of gravity right down to the nuclear forces of the subatomic world.
Caldwell states, "The expansion becomes so fast that it literally rips apart all bound objects. It rips apart clusters of galaxies. It rips apart stars. It rips apart planets and solar systems. And it eventually rips atpart all matter." Caldwell calls this phenomenon "The Big Rip."
The known acceleration of the universe is driven by dark energy, a new concept that is thought by scientists to be "anti-gravity working over large distances." A majority of scientists believe that the acceleration is growing and will perpetually continue to grow at a constant rate. This is comparable to a car moving 5mph faster with each mile traveled. At the projected rate, all things in space will eventually recede from one another at the speed of light. Within 100 billion years, each galaxy would be alone in an empty universe.
The Big Rip theory proposes that dark energy becomes even more forcefull as a repelling agent over time. Rather than a car accelerating 10mph every mile, the car would begin to accelerate every half mile, then every yard, then every inch.
All of the information I have described was gleaned from an article by Robert Roy Britt, a writer for the website of SPACE.
posted by Caroline at 3:19 PM
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