You won't believe this! Scientists say this is the exact day the universe will end
Radboud University
in the Netherlands have found out when the universe will come to an end. The universe will die in one quinvigintillion years which means number 1 followed by 78 zeroes. This is much earlier than what scientists said before, which was 1 followed by 1,100 zeroes, an unbelievably huge number.
The universe will die because of a process called
Hawking radiation
which means, black holes slowly lose energy by releasing small particles. Over a very long time, they shrink and then disappear. Earlier, scientists thought only black holes could do this. But now researchers found that
neutron stars
and white dwarfs can also evaporate in a similar way.
These are the final stages in the life of a star. Neutron stars are left behind after big stars explode in a supernova. White dwarfs are made from smaller stars like our sun after they use up all their energy. These stars are called 'dead stars,' but they stay around for a very long time. Over time, they become unstable, break apart, and vanish.
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Why Does This Matter?
Neutron stars and white dwarfs are the last stars left, so by knowing when they disappear, we can guess when the universe will end. Earlier studies did not include Hawking radiation. Because of that, they overestimated how long the universe would survive.
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Heino Falcke, a professor at Radboud University, is the lead scientist. He and his team used Hawking's idea to make new calculations. They found that all objects with gravity like stars can lose energy and evaporate, not just black holes.
The idea was given by Stephen Hawking in 1975. He explained that tiny particles appear near the edge of a black hole, one falls in, and the other gets away. The escaped particles are called Hawking radiation. As more of these escape, the black hole shrinks. This goes against what Albert Einstein said he believed black holes can only get bigger.
The team had a study in 2023 in a science journal called Physical Review Letters. Their new research uses the same ideas and has been accepted for another journal, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. Right now, the paper is also available on arXiv, a website for new science papers.
There is no need to worry. Even though the universe might end earlier than we thought, it will still take a really, really long time. Humans and even Earth will be gone long before the universe dies.
It helps scientists understand Hawking's theory better. It shows that Hawking radiation might happen with many space objects, not just black holes. It also gives scientists a new way to study the life and death of stars and the universe itself. Co-author Walter van Suijlekom said, 'By asking such big questions, we hope to solve the mystery of Hawking radiation one day.'
FAQs
Q1. What is Hawking radiation?
A1. It is when black holes or stars slowly lose energy and shrink over time.
Q2. Will the universe end soon?
A2. No, it will end in a very, very long time, one followed by 78 zeros.
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