AHG                    Four routes to cosmic oblivion

       New Scientist issue 2485 dated 5 Feb 2005 has a number of articles on the end of time.  Modern theoretical research is looking at esoteric ideas that used to be discussed only in Science Fantasy magazines.  On page 37 there is a comment on the next "big bang".  This bit of theory suggests that this could occur in....... wait for it: ten to the power (ten to the power 56) years.  Or to put it in another way, figure one followed by ten to the power 56 number of zeros.  That a big number of years, a very very very big number of years.  Don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen.  A lot of things will happen in the meantime, with one of the least significant being that the sun will go out having exhausted its nuclear fuel.

One can never criticise New Scientist for being over-conservative in the ideas it publishes.  The magazine cover sums up this issue

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