Astronomers once wondered if the Universe might one day collapse in on itself in a Big Crunch, but the discovery of dark energy suggested that the expansion of the Universe would accelerate, removing that possibility. New data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument suggests that dark energy might be changing in strength over time, maybe even going negative. If that result holds, are we due for a Big Crunch? And how long would it take?

Using data from a number of astronomical surveys, including the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, the researchers have developed a model that predicts our universe will end in a “Big Crunch” in approximately 33.3 billion years. Since the universe is currently 13.8 billion years old, this gives us roughly 20 billion years before the curtain falls!

This prediction challenges the long-held assumption that the universe will expand forever. Instead, it suggests that after reaching maximum expansion in about 7 billion years, the universe will begin contracting until everything collapses back into a single point.