Difference between revisions 148244121 and 148244122 on dewiki

{{Refimprove|date=August 2008}}
{{cosmology}}
{{see also|Future of an expanding universe|heat death of the universe}}

The '''ultimate fate of the universe''' is a topic in [[physical cosmology]]. Many possible fates are predicted by rival scientific theories, including futures of both finite and infinite duration.

Once the notion that the universe started with a [[Big Bang]] became accepted by a consensus of scientists, the ultimate fate of the universe became a valid cosmological question, one depending upon the physical properties of the mass/energy in the universe, its average density, and the rate of expansion.

==Emerging scientific basis==
{{See also|Timeline of cosmology|Timeline of the Big Bang}}

===Theory===
[[Image:Aleksandr Fridman.png|thumb|right|Alexander Friedmann]]
The theoretical scientific exploration of the ultimate fate of the universe became possible with [[Albert Einstein]]'s 1916 theory of [[general relativity]] (although it certainly did not ''begin'' at that time). General relativity can be employed to describe the universe on the largest possible scale. There are many possible solutions to the equations of general relativity, and each solution implies a possible ultimate fate of the universe. [[Alexander Friedman]] proposed a number of such [[Friedmann equations|solution]]s in 1922 as did [[Georges Lemaître]] in 1927.<ref name=Lemaitre1927>{{Cite journal | last=Lemaître | first=Georges | author-link=Georges Lemaître | title=Un univers homogène de masse consta(contracted; show full)[[nl:Uiteindelijk lot van het heelal]]
[[ja:宇宙の終焉]]
[[pt:Derradeiro destino do Universo]]
[[sr:Коначна судбина универзума]]
[[fi:Maailmankaikkeuden lopullinen kohtalo]]
[[sv:Universums framtid]]
[[vi:Giả thiết về sự kết thúc của vũ trụ]]
[[zh:宇宙的終極命運]]