"Forever" is a long time, and most scientists are not arrogant enough to think we know everything. For example, we don't know whether the universe is really expanding (although that seems the simplest explanation) and we don't know if it will ever reverse and collapse again.
Logically, if the universe expands forever AND all the mass that will ever exist came into being in the big bang, then eventually when all the existing stars have burnt out, the universe will become cold and dark. We don't know that there is no "new" mass coming into being; Sir Fred Hoyle, who derisively named the "big bang", believed in a "steady state" universe in which new matter might come into existence in the space between the stars.
The total history of stellar physics and cosmology is scarcely 100 years old; I suspect that we barely have begun to suspect the real truth about what's happening. Keep an open mind.
stars will age and die and the universe will become cold and dark
Open or flat.
See related question
Nothing
That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.
Nobody Knows. Even if we travel at the speed of light we still would die before we got to the end of the universe. Everybody says the universe is expanding, but what is it expanding into?
The "Big Crunch" idea was that the expansion would eventually stop and the universe would collapse. All evidence today says no way. The "Yo-Yo" says the universe repeatedly expand, collpses and then expands again of a roughly 70 billion year cycle. There is no evidence for this. The "Big Rip" says the universe will simply expand forever, with other galaxies gradually getting so far away that they fade in the distance, and then stars burn out and everything gets cold and dark forever.
All life would end
The Big Bang Theory presents the theoretical premise for the causation, termination, and continuation of an evolutionary expansion of the universe. The Big Bang promotes that the universe is Time bound (or has a finite existence), that the universe is expanding (within the dimensional limits of Space and Time), that the universe is evolving a set amount of matter and energy while it is expanding over time, and that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic with respect to Space and Time.
we would be all screwed
That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.That would be a sign that the Universe is contracting, instead of expanding as it currently is.
The universe simply cant expand at 0 acceleration.
Nobody Knows. Even if we travel at the speed of light we still would die before we got to the end of the universe. Everybody says the universe is expanding, but what is it expanding into?
The universe contains space and time. "Outside" the universe, there would be no space or time, and without these, nothing can exist.
Nobody Knows. Even if we travel at the speed of light we still would die before we got to the end of the universe. Everybody says the universe is expanding, but what is it expanding into?
The "Big Crunch" idea was that the expansion would eventually stop and the universe would collapse. All evidence today says no way. The "Yo-Yo" says the universe repeatedly expand, collpses and then expands again of a roughly 70 billion year cycle. There is no evidence for this. The "Big Rip" says the universe will simply expand forever, with other galaxies gradually getting so far away that they fade in the distance, and then stars burn out and everything gets cold and dark forever.
That question cannot be answered. We would have to know the magnitude of every star in the universe. The universe is infinite (and expanding). It's impossible to answer your question.
No it does not. It is my basic understanding of this theory that the 'true center' of the universe would be mostly devoid of material.
The shape of the Universe is yet being investigated - it is not known for sure what its shape on a large scale is.As for the expansion, our current knowledge is that the Universe is not only expanding, but that the rate of expansion is increasing (it is expanding faster than in the past). It may be reasonable to assume that this trend will continue in the future, but it would also be a little premature to be completely sure.The shape of the Universe is yet being investigated - it is not known for sure what its shape on a large scale is.As for the expansion, our current knowledge is that the Universe is not only expanding, but that the rate of expansion is increasing (it is expanding faster than in the past). It may be reasonable to assume that this trend will continue in the future, but it would also be a little premature to be completely sure.The shape of the Universe is yet being investigated - it is not known for sure what its shape on a large scale is.As for the expansion, our current knowledge is that the Universe is not only expanding, but that the rate of expansion is increasing (it is expanding faster than in the past). It may be reasonable to assume that this trend will continue in the future, but it would also be a little premature to be completely sure.The shape of the Universe is yet being investigated - it is not known for sure what its shape on a large scale is.As for the expansion, our current knowledge is that the Universe is not only expanding, but that the rate of expansion is increasing (it is expanding faster than in the past). It may be reasonable to assume that this trend will continue in the future, but it would also be a little premature to be completely sure.
I suppose because the universe is constantly expanding, so you could never pinpoint just one area.
I suppose because the universe is constantly expanding, so you could never pinpoint just one area.