The universe shuts down; it’s getting cold, slowly but surely. This is stated by a group of astronomers who have examined more than 200,000 galaxies and presented their conclusions to the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union. According to the research, the current energy of the stars represents half of the energy that they emitted 2,000 million years ago and that this process seems unstoppable and definitive. Our universe is slowly dying.
Astronomers have measured the energy generated within a considerable area of space with unprecedented precision, individually measuring the energy emissions of each galaxy at 21 wavelengths. It is by far the most comprehensive assessment of near-universe energy emission that we have on record and has revealed that this reduction occurs at all wavelengths, from the ultraviolet to the far infrared.
The study provides observations from most of the world’s most formidable telescopes (VISTA, VST, SDSS, AAT, GALEX, WISE or Herschel) from ESO, NASA or ESA: “We use all the terrestrial and space facilities at our disposal. scope to measure the energy emission of those more than 200,000 galaxies in as many wavelengths as possible ”, explains Simon Driver, leader of the GAMA ( Galaxy And Mass Assembly ) project that coordinates the research.
GAMA aims to create a map of the energy generated within a large volume of space both today and at different times in the past since the explosion of the Big Bang. Astronomers hope to expand this work in order to model a map of energy production throughout the entire history of the Universe .
“ From now on, the universe will decay, slowly aging. Basically, the universe has sat on the sofa, covered itself with a blanket and is about to nap for an eternal nap ”, Driver clarifies.
