Scary End-of-the-Universe Scenarios
Will the universe end? If so, how? We humans have searched for this answer for thousands
of years. And now advances in science and space technology have provided us
with knowledge that might give us a clue to this dismal prognosis.
Let’s watch the video to see some scary end of the universe scenarios.
The Kessler Effect Consider this scenario: A dead
spy satellite destroyed in space. The explosion generates a flood of debris in Earth’s orbit. And
as it zooms in loony circles around our planet, it leaves behind in its wake unimaginable havoc.
The resulting space junk annihilates communication satellites, and every collision leads to more
and more debris. It destroys the Hubble Space Telescope and a NASA space shuttle killing with
it several crew members aboard it. In its fury, it even destroys the International Space Station,
the most sophisticated orbiting lab of our time. This is the Kessler Effect.
But Thank God this scene is fictional. Pure drama – a scene portrayed in the 2013 sci-fi
film Gravity by over-imaginative screen writers, producers and directors.
But wait. Is it purely fictional? Because many satellite operators,
and exploration advocates believe that it is a dark window in a bleak future.
The idea that a single destructive event in earth’s lower orbit can break up satellites into
tiny fragment, and create so much space junk that the earth is immeasurably surrounded by a swarm of
deadly shrapnel making life on earth impossible, is a possibility that cannot be denied.
So what should we do to prevent such a scenario if at all it can be prevented? People have come
up with several innovative ideas. Space junk and debris can be flushed away using nets,
laser blasts, harpoons, giant foam balls, puffs of air, tethers and solar sails. Let’s not forget
robotic arms and tentacles that can make a clean sweep of the orbital trash. Crazy or innovative?
The Kessler Effect, if it were to take place, can not only end space exploration
but also dramatically affect life on Earth. The collisions resulting
in space debris can literally take orbital space hostage and make our lives miserable.
Vacuum Decay Everything must come to an end.
Someday. The universe is no exception. Based on what we know from our learnings from Physics,
there are several possibilities that could lead to the end of the Universe. One such is
the universe imploding or collapsing on itself. Another theory states that there might be a time
when the Universe cools down or rather freezes over to such an extent that nothing can survive.
But the most frightening of all is the vacuum decay – the ultimate ecological catastrophe.
Matter as we know it is not in its full resting state, even a small surge of energy could change
its course. What would happen then if a vacuum bubble was born somewhere in the universe?
Remember, that in this bubble, the laws of physics are very different as compared to the outside.
The walls of this vacuum bubble would expand in all directions at the speed of light,
eventually taking over the entire universe. Galaxies would drift apart,
atoms will be unable to stay together, and particle interaction would change dramatically.
Whatever form the universe takes after this event would certainly make human life
impossible and our planet inhospitable.
Gamma Ray Bursts Well, if these two end of
the universe scenarios were not enough, here is another, even more catastrophic than the others.
A radiation attack from a gamma-ray burst is perhaps one of the most extreme.
Gamma-ray bursts, which are short-lived bursts of gamma ray light are the most powerful and
energetic form of light. Their duration can be anywhere from a few milliseconds to several
minutes. They shine hundred times brighter than a typical supernova and are about a
million trillion times as bright as the sun. They are the deadliest radiation known. If the gamma
rays were to beam directly on Earth, they could destroy a significant portion of our atmosphere,
specifically the ozone layer. Beneath that, gamma rays would be lethal for surface life.
If a living being were to be in the cross hairs of gamma rays, they would be fried in an instant.
Gamma rays would not only cause mass extinction of most species of life on Earth,
but they could affect life's DNA, causing genetic damage long after the burst was over.
It could well alter the evolution of life on our planet.
The Carrington Event In a more believable scenario for the
End of the Universe movie is the Carrington Event. It could most certainly occur in our lifetime,
and it would not be a happy scenario. Having said that, the Carrington
Effect has occurred once in the year 1859. On September 1-2 1859 during the solar cycle 10,
our planet experienced the most intense geomagnetic storm ever to be recorded in
history. It created auroral displays and caused sparking and fire in several telegraph systems.
Wires on telephone poles burst into flame, and telegraph operators reported getting automatically
connected with other operators even while they were not actually connected. It is believed
that his storm was generated from a coronal mass ejection colliding with earth’s magnetosphere.
A solar flare connected with the geomagnetic storm was independently seen and recorded by British
astronomers, Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson at the same time. It was truly the biggest
coronal mass ejection from the sun ever recorded. If such an event were to occur on Earth today,
it would be disastrous. The geomagnetic storm would cause widespread electric damage and
disrupt satellite transmission which would result in blackouts and extended outages.
Which End of the Universe scenario do you think is the deadliest?
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