Radboud University study says universe may end in 10^78 years
A fresh study from Radboud University (April 12, 2026) says the universe could wrap up much earlier than scientists once believed.
Instead of lasting for an almost endless 10^1100 years, the new estimate is "just" 10^78 years, still mind-blowingly long, but a huge difference.
This rethink comes from Stephen Hawking's idea that black holes slowly disappear by releasing particles, a process called Hawking radiation.
Researchers: Hawking radiation evaporates white dwarfs
Here's the twist: researchers now think Hawking radiation affects all objects with gravity, not just black holes.
They looked at white dwarfs (the leftover cores of dead stars), which make up most future stars in our galaxy, and found they'll eventually vanish too.
Even with this shorter timeline, it's still about 10^68 times longer than the universe has existed so far, so no need to panic!
But it does show how cosmic discoveries can totally shift our sense of time and what's possible in space.