Universe has only another 10 bn years to live, say scientists
07 Dec 2016
Astronomers who have been working on to find out about the age of the universe have concluded that the universe has entered its old age and its death is nearing. They say the energy levels in the galaxies are dropping at a rapid pace, which may lead to the death of the universe.
A wide spectrum of over 200,000 galaxies was studied by the scientists, who discovered that the fusion of matter in stars is resulting in the fall of energy.
According to a report in Express UK, scientists say the universe may die in the next 10 billion years as the energy levels are slowing because of the ageing factor.
Astronomers say the energy level of the galaxies currently is not even half of what it was two billion years ago. This is a sign of an ageing Earth and other planets.
Seven of the most powerful telescopes in the world were used by the researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Western Australia for this research. They examined the galaxies at 21 different wavelengths – from the far ultraviolet to the far infrared.
The initial study was carried out using the Anglo-Australian Telescope in New South Wales, they said. Two orbiting space telescopes operated by NASA and another belonging to the European Space Agency conducted the other supporting observations.
Since the late 1990s, it has been known that the universe is slowing. However, the latest observation represents the most comprehensive assessment of the energy output of the nearby Universe as it shows this is happing across all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the infrared.
The concept of the 'ageing universe' has been explored by several research studies.
The research was part of the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) project, the largest multi-wavelength survey ever