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Article: Deep images favor expanding universe. (Hubble Space Telescope images suggest that the universe will continue to expand indefinitely)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- April 20, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began in a giant explosion.
Ever since, the cosmos has ballooned in size, carrying galaxies farther apart.
But gravity slows that expansion and determines the fate of the universe. If gravity is weak, the universe will remain open, expanding forever. However, if the universe contains sufficient mass, it will eventually close in on itself: Gravity will halt cosmic expansion, crashing galaxies together in a Big Crunch. In a third scenario, the universe is delicately balanced between expansion and collapse, possessing just enough gravity to halt inflation without contracting.
Although cosmologists have by no ...