[ad_1]
- A scientist has tightened the numbers to estimate when the universe will “die”, or go extinct without any stellar activity.
- The last supernova will be a “black dwarf supernova” which will be more of a sparkle than an explosion, but it is still very far.
- It will take billions and billions of years before we even get close to this point, so we have nothing to worry about just yet.
From what scientists can tell about the movement of galaxies and other celestial bodies, the universe is constantly expanding. This is fine for now, but eventually the universe will reach a point where things are so scattered and far apart that the interactions that generate heat and light will simply not be possible anymore. ‘calls for heat death, and this is what many believe the universe will die of.
A scientist has decided to cross the numbers and theorize when it could happen, the “death” of the universe being marked by the very last supernova. The theoretical “black dwarf supernova” will look nothing like the massive star explosions seen today, but will be rather sparkling.
The research was conducted by Dr. Matt Caplan and has been published in Monthly notices from the Royal Astronomical Society. “Black dwarf” stars will not glow or produce much heat, but fusion will always occur deep within them, ultimately leading to a boiling point and a supernova unlike anything scientists have. observed.
“Stars less than about 10 times the mass of the sun don’t have the gravity or density to produce iron in their cores like massive stars do, so they can’t explode in a supernova at this time,” Caplan said in a statement. “As the white dwarfs cool over the next trillion years, they will become darker, eventually freeze, and become ‘black dwarf’ stars that will no longer shine.
But not all black dwarves will have what it takes to blow up their tops, so to speak. “Only the most massive black dwarfs, about 1.2 to 1.4 times the mass of the sun, will blow,” says Caplan. The rest, about 99% of the stars, will remain black dwarfs indefinitely and will never reach the point of a supernova.
At that point, no one will be around to see him, says Caplan. “The galaxies will have dispersed, the black holes will have evaporated and the expansion of the universe will have pushed all the remaining objects so far away that none will ever see the others explode. It won’t even be physically possible for the light to travel that far.
So when is this going to happen? This is the good news, in fact, because the “death” of the universe is not expected for a very, very long time. The first black dwarf supernova of this type will occur in 10 to 1,100 years. “For years it’s like saying the word ‘trillion’ almost a hundred times,” said Caplan. “If you wrote it, it would take most of a page. It’s incredibly far into the future.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technologies. Most recently, Mike served as a technical writer at The Daily Dot and has been featured on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and print. His love of reporting comes right after his gambling addiction.
[ad_2]
Source link