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The Big Freeze: How the Universe Will Die

The cosmos will come to a close through a cold and lonely death called the Big Freeze.

By Eric Betz
Sep 11, 2020 1:00 PM
Sagittarius A* - NASA - DSC-CR0417 22
The region surrounding Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way's own supermassive black hole. Eventually, black holes will be the last remaining matter in the universe. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Judy Schmidt)

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The cosmos may never end. But if you were immortal, you’d probably wish it would. Our cosmos’ final fate is a long and frigid affair that astronomers call the Big Freeze, or Big Chill.

It’s a fitting description for the day when all heat and energy is evenly spread over incomprehensibly vast distances. At this point, the universe’s final temperature will hover just above absolute zero. 

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