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Anyone worried about the a doomsday scenario should probably stop reading right now, as scientists have revealed when what's known as the 'Big Crunch' will happen, as it could bring the universe as we know it to an end.
Most scenarios revolving around the end of the world are either a really long way away like the Sun eating our planet, or entirely unpredictable but equally improbable, like theories surrounding a 'self destruct button' for the universe.
However, there is one terrifying theory related to the growing expansion of the universe that has left many fearful though, as the 'Big Crunch' wouldn't just lead to Earth's destruction but the obliteration of every single thing that exists right now.
As reported by UNILAD, the 'Big Crunch' is a theory proposed by scientists that effectively acts as the reverse of the Big Bang that started the universe, and as you can imagine it doesn't have a pretty ending.
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It would snap the universe back into singularity after rapid shrinking, and it's all linked to the elusive 'dark energy' that continues to mystify scientists in its links to the universe's expansion.
Astronomers categorically can't really explain what dark energy is, as it doesn't appear to have a physical or material form, but it's arguably one of the most important 'things' out there in space.
"Dark energy has been described by some as having the effect of a negative pressure that is pushing space outward," NASA has outlined in a detailed overview, although even the best scientists can't concretely nail down an explanation.
Some have feared that this dark energy is in the process of weakening though, and it could eventually reach a point where the aforementioned Big Crunch is triggered.
Experts from Cornell University have come up with a timeline of sorts to estimate when the Big Crunch might occur based on current understandings of the expansion of the universe.
They estimate that it will happen in around 7,000,000,000 years time - so thankfully anyone reading this right now is safe - as that's the point at which it is believed that the universe will reach it's max potential size.
It'll then take another several billion years for the universe to revert to its original state, so overall we're looking at a time scale of roughly 33,300,000,000 years before everything goes kaput.
It all depends on dark energy though and not only how it interacts with the universe but how we understand it from a scientific perspective. These calculations could be proven to be way off if we learn more about the mysterious property, but there's no real way of knowing right now.
