Chemistry of the Stars

The End of the Universe

If the universe had a beginning the it follows that it should have an end. This is one of the great discussions in Science/Philosophy/Theology that is still going on today. A number of theories currently exist...

The Big Freeze

If the universe keeps on expanding then all the planets will be too far away from their stars to get enough heat for life to survive. This scenario is known as The Big Freeze.

The Big Crunch

One day, the universe might stop expanding and start contracting (opposite of expanding). This would result in all matter heading back towards one big lump leading to a big crunch.

Slow Down

It is possible that the expansion of the universe might slow down. Unfortunately, this would still end up with a Big Freeze - it would just take longer to happen.

A Restaurant

Author Douglas Adams came up with the idea that it might be possible for people to watch the end of the universe from the comfort of a very nice restaurant. Here at the Chemical Connection, we hope that this is what occurs and we also hope that there's plenty of gravy at the carvery.

The Cover of the novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams. You can buy this excellent book from Amazon

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The Universe is Expanding - The Big Bang - Fusion - We Were Made in the Stars! - Stars? - Most Common Elements - Iron is in you! - Iron is in Ink! - Our Star for Iron - Oxygen - It Keeps You Alive! - More Oxygen for a Better Flame - Our Celebrity for Oxygen - Nitrogen - Seemingly boring but not... - Liquid Nitrogen - Colder Than Cold - Our Celebrity for Nitrogen - Carbon is Amazing! - Carbon Dioxide - Our Celebrity For Carbon - Hydrogen - Small but Perfectly Formed - Explosive Hydrogen - Our Celebrity for Hydrogen - The End of the Universe

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