Quote:
Originally Posted by edgeprod
Recent data from NASA's WMAP survey show a flat universe that will not contract. More likely, our universe will experience an eventual heat death. As all matter is pulled eventually and inexorably into black holes, the Hawking radiation from the black holes will gradually dissipate until nothing is left. This is the heat death of the universe
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By 'heat death' do you mean the eventual dissipation of process that produce heat? Or a fall into disorder that raises the universal temperature? I've heard the arguments on both sides of the table, and I like the icy universe idea. Eventually all the hydrogen and lighter elements will be gone, stars will no longer be born, the remaining will die, black holes clean up the leftovers, then each other, until only one remains.
And that kind of delivers you right back to the singularity...
I have to say though, I think the term 'big bang' is misleading. I'll bet the expansion was silent. I just imagine it that way.