Produced by: BT Desk Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Many cultures have stories about the end of the world, often promising paradise after destruction. But modern science has its own theories on the universe's ultimate fate.
If not destroyed earlier, Earth will likely be incinerated in 5 billion years when the Sun expands into a red giant, bringing a fiery end to life as we know it.
One theory suggests the universe will keep expanding until it becomes dark and cold, with all energy evenly distributed, leading to a state known as the "Big Freeze."
Another theory proposes the universe will stop expanding and contract, eventually collapsing in on itself in a cataclysmic event known as the "Big Crunch."
To understand the universe's fate, astronomers study its expansion rate and matter content. The cosmic microwave background helps determine whether the universe is flat, as current evidence suggests.
Accelerating expansion due to dark energy could tear the universe apart in about 22 billion years in a phenomenon known as the "Big Rip."
The Higgs boson, a particle associated with the "God particle," could cause a vacuum decay, leading to the universe’s sudden collapse—a scenario scientists call the "Big Slurp."
Scientists discovered that the Higgs boson’s mass is close to causing instability, potentially leading to a vacuum decay and restructuring of the universe.
CERN’s Future Circular Collider (FCC) is set to explore the mysteries of the Higgs boson and other particles, helping to determine the universe’s long-term stability.
If the Higgs field destabilizes, a bubble could form that would spread through the universe at light speed, annihilating everything in its path.