• Universe may end in a â big crunch,â new dark energy data suggests A Cornell physicist has calculated that the universe may be nearing the halfway point of a total lifespan of about 33 billion years. • Using newly released data from major dark energy observatories, he concludes that the cosmos will continue expanding for roughly another 11 billion years before reaching its largest size. • After that, it would begin to shrink, eventually collapsing back into a single point, much like a stretched rubber band snapping back. • Henry Tye, the Horace White Professor of Physics Emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences, arrived at this conclusion by updating a long standing model built around the “cosmological constant.” This concept was first introduced more than a century ago by Albert Einstein and has been central to modern predictions about how the universe will evolve. • “For the last 20 years, people believed that the cosmological constant is positive, and the universe will expand forever,” Tye said. • “The new data seem to indicate that the cosmological constant is negative, and that the universe will end in a big crunch.” Tye is the corresponding author of “The Lifespan of our Universe,” published in theJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.
Article Summaries:
- Universe may end in a âbig crunch,â new dark energy data suggests - Date: - February 16, 2026 - Source: - Cornell University - Summary: - New data from major dark-energy observatories suggest the universe may not expand forever after all. A Cornell physicist calculates that the cosmos is heading toward a dramatic reversal: after reaching its maximum size in about 11 billion years, it could begin collapsing, ultimately ending in a âbig crunchâ roughly 20 billion years from now. - Share: A Cornell physicist has calculated that the universe may be nearing the halfway point of a total lifespan of
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