Timeline of the far future

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The ultimate fate of our universe may be the heat death of the universe or the big rip. Before that happens, it is possible to predict that the following will happen.

Some types of science can say what could happen far into the future.^[1] It is worth noting that our local group of galaxies are bound by gravitation, and its changes and aging can be discussed separate from the rest of the universe.

Astrophysics can say how planets and stars form, affect each other, and die; particle physics can say how atoms and other matter act over time; evolutionary biology can allow us to see how living things change over time; and plate tectonics can say how continents move over time. By observing the past and present, astrophysicists, particle physicists, evolutionary biologists and geologists can make guesses about what might happen in the future.

The second law of thermodynamics is important to predictions about the future of Earth, of the Solar System, and the future of the expanding universe. The second law of thermodynamics says that entropy is always happening. That means that the universe is slowly running out of the kind of energy that can do work.^[2] For example, stars will eventually run out of hydrogen fuel and burn out.^[3]

1. ↑ Rescher, Nicholas (1998). Predicting the future: An introduction to the theory of forecasting. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0791435533.
2. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Nave was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference five ages was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).