What is the fate of the Universe?
346473
From a cosmological point of view - there used to be 3 standard theories about the fate of the universe, all dependant on the total mass of the universe:\n\na) High total mass - eventually the gravitational mass of the universe will halt and reverse the expansion of the universe.  This would naturally end in the universe collapsing in on itself - this is known as the Big Crunch.\n\nb) "Just-right" total mass - the mass of the universe is just enough to halt the expansion of the universe, but not enough to draw it back in.  This requires a very specific total mass of the universe as as such is unlikely to happen.\n\nThe 2 above theories have been more-or-less completely ruled out in recent year as not only is the expansion of the universe not slowing down, but is in fact accelerating.  Which leads us to:\n\nc) low total mass / unexplained acceleration of matter - The universe will continue to expanded, its constituent parts getting further and further away from each other.  \n\nEventually, there are not enough concentrations of hydrogen around , and no new nebulas are formed.  This means no more stars, and no more heat sources. This is usually referred to  as the "Big Freeze" scenario.\n\nCheck the below page for other possibilities.
655895
I won't win points for originality by saying that the world will end as the sun expands as it gets older and becomes a red giant. As this will happen in 6 to 7 billion years time, it is not an immediate concern. There are various scenarios for the end of human civilisation or the end of life on earth but that is the most likely scenario for the end of life on earth.\n\nNo-one has a clear idea of how the universe will end. The most likely scenarios are:\n\n* the big freeze where the universe will expand so much that it is unable to sustain life;\n\n* the big rip where the universe will will expand so much that it eventually disintegrate into elementary particles; and\n\n* the big crunch where the universe stops expanding and starts contracting.
1162586
The universe is everything that exists.  The opposite would be everything that doens't exist.  So, the opposite is nothing.
708483
Nothingness.\n\nOr maybe it's encroaching on another Universe?  Hmmmm......
983856
fate is kinda like, u don't know what's going to happen\n\nlike when someone says "let fate deside" \nlike in a fight, u don't know who's gonna win and fate will pick.\n\nand GOD is fate. HE picks for us.
182938
What is the world coming to.
1055543
when the world comes to an end?
681389
By definition, the universe is a singular entity and no other exists except in theory (ex. Inter-dimensional universes, sub atomic universes and anti-matter universes). If we consider the universe as finite instead of infinite, then we can roughly conclude that it is spherical in shape, and the outermost bodies are roughly equidistant from the center. \n  In Einstein’s theory of the Time and Space continuum, Time and Space are cylinders and the intersection of two cylinders is a sphere. as the intersection of the cylinders change, so does the location of that sphere, It can be see as moving through time, or moving through space, or moving through time and space simultaneously.\n    Not all possible points of time and space are contained with that sphere at one time, but the sphere can pass through them and we move through time and space. Once a point has passed though our sphere it is gone.\n\n   UNLESS the cylinders are actually rings. The intersection of the two rings is also a sphere. In this case, a point can pass through our sphere several times as we are in constant any yet synchronous motion with the other ring. So if our universe is actually a sphere, and the intersection of circular cylinders (rings), galaxy will always be a galaxy, but it can come into existence, die and be reborn all within it's own space it passes through our sphere of existence over and over again.\n\nSorry...this was probably more than you wanted. It's possible, yes, but not likely in this sphere of reality.
995127
A thought I always ponder, not necessarily ' the meaning', but the destiny or the plan...\n\nMaybe we were a plan of the universe from the moment of its' creation in order to thwart its' inevitable demise billions of years from now.  The universe 'knew' it was going to create conditions likely for intelligent life to form in hopes that one day that  life created would come to grips with the workings of universe and space to the point that it wolud figure out a way for it to exist forever.\n\nTherefore the meaning of an individuals life is to add to the progression of society in anyway.  In other words, do what you like to do that contributes.  It could be something as trivial as smiling at everyone you meet.
82440
There's an interesting question.  Perhaps from the ultimate collapse of the previous universe.
9649
It does not end and its growing, before you try tackling such a question, answer the micro-level questions of the same kind.  The universe encompasses all that exists, and by default then, it is largely unknown.  We don't know where the universe ends, and all evidence points to it being endless and growing, therefore we make a conclusion based on a portion of the information actually needed.
1113632
What is beyond the borders of the universe?\nIs it truly possible for the universe to go on forever? If there is an end, what’s on the other side?\n \nBefore we can address these questions, we must first define universe.  The word universe denotes all space and everything (matter, energy) contained within it.  The prefix uni means one.  The root verse means word, turn, or whole.  Thus our universe has traditionally been thought to be the one whole of all substance or matter.  Questions regarding our universe persist today.  Does it have a beginning and end, or does it go on forever and ever?  Is it linear or curved?  If it has limits of length or curvature, then what lies beyond the Universe?  If something lies beyond the Universe, then can’t we accurately call that the Universe?\n\nSome lay people and some scientists conceive of the universe as infinite space.  Others define the universe as finite, or limited (perhaps curved), space.  Still others incorporate the elements of matter and/or energy into their definition of the universe, as opposed to the space beyond matter and energy.\n\nGiven these concepts of our universe, some scientists conclude that the “totality of space could be infinite. Shrink an infinite space by an arbitrary amount, and it is still infinite. (Scientific American March 2005).”  \n\nAs to the notion that we live in an ever expanding universe, moving away from every other universe on the fabric of space-time, some scientists are careful to point out that “Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor, is actually moving toward us, not away. Such exceptions arise because Hubble's law describes only the average behavior of galaxies (Scientific American March 2005).”\n\nIn accordance with your supposition that our universe is in another universe, “it has been hypothesized by some scientists that the universe may be part of a system of many other universes, known as the multiverse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe).” Modern astrophysicists talk about multiple "pocket" universes that branch off from one another.  Stephen Hawking points out that parallel pocket universes can have no effect on a real observer inside a single pocket, so, according to Hawking, they are theoretical baggage that should be eliminated from cosmology, the study of the origins of the universe.\n\nSome string theories define the universe as a three-dimensional space in an invisible space having more dimensions. This is, in essence, a universe within a universe.  Our zone, a “braneworld” could periodically bounce into another parallel braneworld.  This may create what would appear as a Big Bang from one perspective or a Big Bounce of alternating expanding and contracting universe from another perspective.  Such a cataclysmic event is thought to occur 300 billion years from now, resulting in the rearranging and creation of a new universe.\n\nBeyond the borders of the universe, there are other universes moving through a multiverse.  While scientists do not commonly believe that our universe goes on for an unlimited distance, despite its present expansion, they allow for the possibility that the multiverse may go on forever.  If there is an end to our universe, what’s on the other side is called the multiverse.  If there is an end to the multiverse, another term may need to be coined to describe what lay people commonly refer to as infinite space.\n\nSteve\n:-D
155835
The problem is to tabulate the total mass of the Universe, a realy BIG problem.  There may be a lot of undetected dark matter in the universe that would shift calculations of the Gravitational Constant that will determine the fate of the Universe.  It is like trying to count the mushrooms in a totally blacked out cellar while blindfolded, or even much harder.  Progress is being made as the limits of the Universe are being explored by every means possible, especially by use of the human brain.
710329
I hate to be the philosopher but that is why the question still reamins. No one can accuratly tell what lies beyond the boundries of the universe. Is there another? Is it just white noise? I believe that space is infinite and our "universe" could well be a part of a cluster of "multiverses". i was once told that the universe is expanding in the same way that a balloon is blown up. So what lies beyond our universe? I say space, space, and more space! \n\nIf our universe began with the "big bang" then that would mean that at some point the universe had collapsed upon itself, leaving empty space.
370961
go to\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe
1130955
The universe will end when the sun and all the stars collapse and engulf everything killing everything and sucking it all into a dot. We will all be dead, so it doesn't matter what happens after that. Of course, we still have a few billion years before that happens, so I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, I believe the Lord will return before then, but the universe will not end at that time, only change.
626622
The universe is an indefinite entity.It is bounded by 'nothing' even in the strict sense of modern physics.