The End of the Universe

Rip, freeze, or crunch?

Ever heard of the Big Bang? It’s the most widely accepted theory that explains the origins of the universe. Essentially, the Big Bang theory asserts that the universe formed in a massive explosion about 13.8 billion years ago. Prior to that, it is believed that all matter was condensed into a singularity, or an extremely compact and infinitely dense ball of matter. When that singularity suddenly began to inflate, it spread out into the exponentially expanding universe that we see today.

Theories for how the universe will end are closely related to this same expanding nature. Will the universe ever stop growing? Could it contract? And, what happens if it does?

A few notable theories attempt to answer these questions: the Big Rip, the Big Freeze, and the Big Crunch.

The Big Rip

The Big Rip operates on the assumption that the universe will continue to expand at an increasing acceleration. As the universe grows at a faster and faster rate, the Big Rip claims that the perpetual acceleration will ultimately tear the universe apart.

As astronomer Yvette Cendes explains:

Imagine a driver who keeps a foot on the gas pedal of a car with no top acceleration. As the car goes faster and faster — the speed of the…