The "most precise measurement" ever made recently suggested our Universe is expanding much faster than previously thought, casting doubts on earlier predictions and even calling into question Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Just as the Universe started after a Big Bang, astronomers are now attempting to study this expansion to predict how the Universe will ultimately end.
The rate of this expansion may eventually tear the Universe apart, forcing it to end in a Big Rip. Alternatively, the Universe could 'shrink', decrease or decay, effectively reversing the Big Bang and destroying the Universe in a Big Crunch. A third theory is described as the Big Freeze.
Many theoretical physicists believe the Universe will end, and it could happen at any point between 2.8 billion years and 22 billion years from now. Certain researchers even suggest the process of its demise has already begun.
So what fate is awaiting our Universe?
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