Stellar Crisis: Why is the Universe Fading?
World
Astronomers are raising the alarm: the Universe appears to have passed its peak of activity. New data points to an alarming trend—the rate of star birth is steadily declining, which could signal the beginning of a long cosmic "stellar winter." While there is an unimaginable number of stars right now, the future looks increasingly dim.
The cosmos is gradually fading. Scientists are coming to this conclusion by observing the increasingly rare birth of new stars. This does not mean that celestial bodies are about to run out—there are an unimaginable number of them in the Universe, up to a septillion (1 followed by 24 zeros). However, the process of star formation seems to have peaked billions of years ago and is now irreversibly slowing down.
The Universe is about 13.8 billion years old, and the first stars ignited shortly after the Big Bang. For instance, the James Webb Space Telescope recently discovered stars in the Milky Way over 13 billion years old.
The birth of a star is a majestic process. It all begins in giant clouds of gas and dust—nebulae. Under the influence of gravity, clumps of matter contract, heat up, and turn into a protostar. When the temperature in its core reaches millions of degrees, thermonuclear fusion is triggered: hydrogen atoms fuse, forming helium and releasing colossal energy in the form of light and heat. This is how a star enters a long, stable phase of life called the "main sequence."
But nothing lasts forever. The slowdown in star formation is one of the key signs that the Universe may have passed its golden era of development and entered a prolonged phase of gradual "fading," where old stars die and new ones barely replace them.
The Universe is about 13.8 billion years old, and the first stars ignited shortly after the Big Bang. For instance, the James Webb Space Telescope recently discovered stars in the Milky Way over 13 billion years old.
The birth of a star is a majestic process. It all begins in giant clouds of gas and dust—nebulae. Under the influence of gravity, clumps of matter contract, heat up, and turn into a protostar. When the temperature in its core reaches millions of degrees, thermonuclear fusion is triggered: hydrogen atoms fuse, forming helium and releasing colossal energy in the form of light and heat. This is how a star enters a long, stable phase of life called the "main sequence."
But nothing lasts forever. The slowdown in star formation is one of the key signs that the Universe may have passed its golden era of development and entered a prolonged phase of gradual "fading," where old stars die and new ones barely replace them.
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