The expansion of the universe likely never ending. Will individual galaxies be ripped apart by the expansion as objects get further apart from each other? Will individual bodies be then ripped apart and so forth? Yes. Ultimately, as galaxies spread apart, this pressure within the vacuum of space, we call it dark energy. It is most of what is driving the universe right now. That dark energy will ultimately overcome the gravitational attraction of stars that are held together within galaxies. And at that point, it'll rip apart the fabric of space and time on the plank scale. The big rip would take place in 22 billion years unless something stops it.
Why does the universe exist? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice answer fan questions about black holes, wormholes, the expansion of the universe and more! What are our options to solve the crisis in cosmology?
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Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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