“Observations indicate that the universe is expanding at an ever increasing rate. It will expand forever, getting emptier and darker.”
- January 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018
- British
- Theoretical physicist, science writer
- Announced the black hole singularity theorem and Hawking radiation, and contributed to the popularization of science with his book “Talking about the Universe”
Quote
“Observations indicate that the universe is expanding at an ever increasing rate. It will expand forever, getting emptier and darker.”
Explanation
This quote refers to a key observation in modern cosmology that has profound implications for our understanding of the future of the universe. In the late 1990s, astronomers discovered that the rate of expansion of the universe is accelerating due to a mysterious force called dark energy. This was an unexpected result, as it had long been thought that the gravitational pull of all matter in the universe would gradually slow the expansion. Instead, evidence from distant supernovae revealed that galaxies are moving away from each other at an increasing rate, suggesting that the universe will continue to expand indefinitely.
The quote also touches on the long-term fate of the universe, which, according to current models of cosmological evolution, will eventually lead to an increasingly empty and dark universe. As galaxies move farther apart and stars burn out, the universe will become colder and more dilute, with fewer stars, less light, and more vacuum between celestial objects. This scenario is often referred to as the “Big Freeze”, where the universe continues to expand forever, becoming a place of darkness and isolation.
Hawking’s understanding of the universe’s expansion fits within the framework of modern cosmology and was informed by the work of other scientists like Edwin Hubble, who discovered the universe’s expansion in the 1920s, and the later development of dark energy as a key component of cosmological models. This realization raises questions about the ultimate fate of all matter, energy, and life in the universe. While this bleak view of the future is often associated with scientific determinism, Hawking’s own work emphasized the importance of understanding these processes through science, highlighting the role of human curiosity and intellectual exploration in our search for meaning, even in the face of an expanding and increasingly inhospitable universe.
