The End:Astronomy Meets Eschatology

摘要

Personal endings carry the most emotional weight, but our growing awareness of the universe has acquainted us with a spectrum of endings on different cosmic scales. First, there is the occasional intrusion of large pieces of debris from the solar system, which can be triggered by the approach of a nearby star. Then, there is the disruption to life and the biosphere caused by stellar death and cataclysm. Finally, there are endings that play out on the largest backdrop of space and time, such as the gradual dimming of the Milky Way as the lowest mass stars expire and the removal of galaxies from view and the possible disruption of space-time caused by dark energy. The Copernican awareness of cosmic evolution helps to put our own modest endings in perspective.