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[-] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 11 points 1 day ago

The space between atoms starts to expand faster than the speed of light. Well i guess that is the universe fucked.

[-] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 12 points 1 day ago

Good thing the atoms (and the subatomic particles) are pulled back together as the universe expands. The same way we are pulled to Earth by gravity and don't fly off into space as the universe expands.

[-] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This does, however, lead to the existence of "local groups".

Meaning that, there is a local group of celestial bodies that we may theoretically be able to visit at some time in the future, which are held somewhat together by gravitational forces which help to counteract the expansion of space. But anything outside of that local group will be expanding away from the group at greater than the speed of light.

Meaning, effectively, that the universe is going to be / is already separated out into small pockets of local neighbors, who will never be able to reach other local groups unless they invent some sort of much faster than light travel. The universe is very, very large, but the percentage of the universe that is physically reachable by us is quite small, no matter how many generations we spend on the journey.

Personally I find that to be one of the more disappointing true facts about the universe.

[-] SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Exactly, there will be causally disconnected pocket universes in the future. I'm thankful we still live in a time when we can see the rest of the universe. Creatures alive in 100 billion years might have no way to figure out how the universe started, or that there is anything outside of their local cluster at all.

[-] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 day ago

How fast space expands is described by general relativity. For the space between atoms to expand faster than the speed of light, you need a shitload of energy crammed together very densely, like a galaxy worth of stuff in every atom. This is called cosmic inflation, and it's what happened during (and possibly before) the first part of the big bang.

We don't know exactly how there can be this much energy in this little space, or where it all went, but we do know it was there because there are waves imprinted on the density of the universe.

[-] EggInDisguise 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Without trying to explain things even in not sure I grasp, no. The atomic forces keep atoms together, and expansion of space is only noticeable on long distances. Like light-years and parsecs kind of distances.

Also fun fact: the rate of expansion is not only INCREASING as space expands, last information I saw suggested space is expanding faster in some directions than others, which is fascinating for a number of reasons.

this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
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