Whether the Universe will ‘end’ at all is not certain, but all evidence suggests it will continue being humanity’s cosmic home for a very, very long time.

The Universe – all of space and time, and all matter and energy – began about 14 billion years ago in a rapid expansion called the Big Bang, but since then it has been in a state of continuous change.

First, it was full of a diffuse gas of particles that now make up atoms: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Then, that gas collapsed into stars and galaxies.