By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO
Expert astronomers from around the world confirmed Tuesday that our universe is slowly dying.
In an unprecedented study of some 200,000 galaxies, scientists examined the energy generated by these galaxies -- which comprise an enormous swath of space -- and found the energy content was half the amount found 2 billion years ago. The universe’s energy is currently fading, giving evidence to the theory that our universe is headed toward destruction.
Astronomers have theorized since the late 1990s that the universe was in decline, but Tuesday’s announcement provides greater proof of that belief.
"The universe is fated to decline from here on in, like an old age that lasts forever," noted Simon Driver, leader of the study team, in a statement. "The universe has basically plonked itself down on the sofa, pulled up a blanket and is about to nod off for an eternal doze."
Not that it’s anything we have to worry about. Researchers behind the study believe we have a few billion years left, which is plenty of time for the human species to go extinct by our own hands, get wiped out by a rogue asteroid or sucked into the sun.
The new data was provided by the Galaxy and Mass Assembly, or GAMA, project and shows that energy is decreasing among 21 different wavelengths -- from ultraviolet to far-infrared.
All of the universe’s energy was created when it was born during the Big Bang, but much of it was converted into mass. Stars slowly turn mass back into energy, according to Albert Einstein’s famous theory of relativity.
"While most of the energy sloshing around was created in the aftermath of the Big Bang, additional energy is constantly being released by stars as they fuse elements like hydrogen and helium together," Driver claimed.
The team’s next project is to map the energy content of the universe through time, which would provide a comprehensive history of the universe like never before.
