Scientists at Radboud University say the universe will fade out far sooner than once believed, not in 10¹¹⁰⁰ years, but in roughly 10⁷⁸. Their calculations build on Stephen Hawking’s idea that black holes slowly evaporate, extending the process to neutron stars and white dwarfs. As these final stellar remnants dissolve, all luminous matter eventually disappears, marking the universe’s theoretical end.
