A new cosmology study has significantly revised predictions about the end of the universe, suggesting it could "fade out" much sooner than previously thought, though still on timescales unimaginable to humanity. According to research published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics by a team at Radboud University, the universe may reach its end in about 10⁷⁸ years, a drastic revision compared to previous estimates of around 10¹¹⁰⁰ years.
For comparison, the current age of the universe is estimated at about 13.8 billion years (10¹⁰), meaning even the new prediction places its end in an extraordinarily distant future. The study is based on the idea of Hawking radiation, initially proposed by physicist Stephen Hawking, which suggests black holes are not completely "black" but slowly lose mass by emitting particles.
According to this model, over extremely long timescales, even the densest objects in the universe could gradually "evaporate." Researchers involved—Heino Falcke, Michael Wondrak, and Walter van Suijlekom—suggest this process is not limited to black holes but could also affect other cosmic objects with gravitational fields.
One of the study's most significant findings relates to white dwarf stars, the super-dense remnants of stars like our Sun after they exhaust their fuel. According to the model, these objects could vanish after about 10⁷⁸ years. Since about 97% of stars in the Milky Way are expected to end up as white dwarfs, this phase would constitute a major part of the universe's "remaining lifespan."
The study's lead author, Heino Falcke, emphasized that although the prediction has been drastically revised, it remains beyond any imaginable timescale for human life, adding, "The end of the universe comes sooner than thought, but still after an eternity from our perception."