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I love reading things that make me think. Perhaps that is why I bother with Voltaire's Candide or Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. They do something to the reader that encapsulates and provokes thought and attention, such is the power of great literature.


One of the most thought provoking articles I have yet read on eRepublik was Patanjali's article Ti chiamo io, tra oggi e domani. He wrote on the nature of the world, its beginning and end. This sparked my attention, for as a astronomical hobbyist I find the area fascinating.

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It is widely accepted in the scientific community that the Universe began 13.75±0.35billion years ago. It began somehow, a mystery lost in the realms of physics/theology, our knowledge of the Universe starts at 1x10^-27seconds after the Big Bang.


No One truly knows what happened in the 1x10^-27seconds immediately following the Big Bang, illustrated by the inner-circle in the image


In this time the universe consisted of only energy, but after 1x10^-27seconds (the radiation era) the universe began to cool, and matter (stuff) began to form. At 10 million million degrees it is impossible of atoms to hold their form. In fact not even Quarks, Muons and other obscure particles like the Higgs Bosons floated about in a sea of Dark Matter and and energy.

When cool enough energy became matter, and the afore mentioned particles collided forming the Protons and neutrons we still see today. The Universe here is about the size of a melon, and is expanding rapidly. Dark Energy pushing outwards overpowers the Universe's gravity.

And I mean the gravity of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE!

Every atom, molecule, cell, organism, mineral, planet, star, galaxy and all the stuff in between formed in a colossal event that cannot be adequately be explained by anything at the moment.

And that's the beginning...


No matter what culture you look at the world will end, be it any denomination of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or any of the plethora of religions that have sprouted up around the world in our 4million years of existence have and end.

Science does to.

The driving force of the universe is energy. Be it kinetic, atomic, magnetic and so on and so forth; the universe cannot happen without energy.

Now imagine 2 tanks of water:


At this stage Tank 1 has more water in it than Tank 2. If the connecting pipe is open, water will flow between the two tanks. When H₁ is equal to H₂, the water will no longer flow. They tanks have reached an equilibrium.



Now imagine the water represents energy, the energy will continue to act until both tanks have an equal amount. The most popular theory for the Universe's demise follows this idea.

Every particle in the Universe has energy, be it the energy locked in the Carbon in your body or the quarks that build neutron stars, they all have energy. It is clear however, that some have more energy than others, for example a Hydrogen atom in your body has less potential energy (H₂) than a Hydrogen atom in the sun (H₁). Naturally these try to even out, and become equal with the surrounding matter; hence the sun giving off energy and us absorbing.

This example is in a extremely small system, we are only one planet (of eight), orbiting around one star (of 300billion in the Milky Way). And our galaxy is only a medium sized one out of the 100billion in the observable universe.

We are talking huge numbers. And in all of these particles there is still, after 13.75±0.35billion years an energy potential difference.

Our universe is inherently expanding outwards, into what we don't know, and is constantly cooling. By cooling, here physicists mean the energy potential of the universe is evening out.


Cosmic Microwave Backgroun😛 The blue areas are of lower microwave emission, the red of higher


The Cosmic Microwave Background (above) is a wave of radiation, remnants of the Big bang, this radiation is constantly moving through space at the speed of light.

However, in 100trillion years. That's 100, 000, 000, 000, 000 earth years the dapples of the universe will disappear. Energy will be equal in all particles. This is the calculated time for every single particle in the Universe to have no more energy than any other. Atoms, Quarks and all parts of will dissipate and cool to absolute zero (-275ºC), and because H₁ is equal to H₂ nothing can happen [without energy].

the Universe...



Every speck of light in this image is a Galaxy

...will die

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Like I said astrophysics and cosmology is fascinating. I haven't even written about Entropy, and the nature of time itself. The universe is huge and beautiful, I believe Shakespeare puts it perfectly:

"There are more things in heaven and earth...
Than are dreamt of in your philosophies"

It is stunning, and spectacular, and we love it for the short time we are around. But as far as we know, it is not eternal. And that makes me sad.

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Pantajali aske😛

"...tell us if you believe the world should have a begging and an end?"


Assuming he meant "beginning" not "begging", my answer is this:

Should it?
I don't know.

Does it?
Absolutely.




Real eyes
Realise
Real lies