Big Rip: how a cosmic face-off could 'end the universe'

The universe – and all its planets and galaxies – could expand so much that it eventually tears apart and vanishes in a "Big Rip", according to a new theoretical model. The dramatic cosmic finale has been predicted by experts at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee…

What is a Big Rip?

Scientists at Vanderbilt say the universe could eventually expand to such a degree that everything from galaxies to planets to atoms will be torn apart and disappear. "The idea of the Big Rip is that eventually even the constituents of matter would start separating from each other," mathematician Dr Marcelo Disconzi tells The Guardian. "You'd be seeing all the atoms being ripped apart… it's fair to say that it's a dramatic scenario."

When will this happen?

There's no need to down tools at work just yet – the predicted doomsday is not predicted to happen for another 22 billion years.

Is there any way it can be avoided?

Disconzi believes that the ultimate destiny of the universe will depend on a gladiatorial battle between two opposing cosmic forces. "You have this competition between dark energy, that tries to expand the universe, and gravity, that tends to make it collapse again," he said. "The question is: who wins?" If dark energy, believed to make up about 70 per cent of the universe, triumphs over gravity there could be a Big Rip. "Under the rip scenario, dark energy gets stronger and you get this wild expansion that essentially rips space-time apart," says Professor Carlos Frenk, a cosmologist at the University of Durham. "The universe would vanish in front of your eyes. Basically, you don't want to be around for it."

How much consensus is there?

Scientists are now reasonably convinced that the universe began with the Big Bang, around 13.8 billion years ago, says The Guardian. This started at a pinpoint of incredibly high density and expanded to today's universe. However, the way in which the universe might end remains a hot potato for experts. "The only thing we definitely know is that the universe is expanding and that the rate is accelerating," said Disconzi. "That's about the only thing we know for sure."