Guess we better get our affairs in order

[gsmittle]

We only have four billion years to prepare! Uh oh…

And I just cleaned my shop.

g.

[cabinetman]

Getting one's affairs in order does make sense in that we as individuals have no idea when we are likely to check out. Could be a car accident, or some improper DIY wiring of a sub-panel. The data about the cosmos coming from NASA might not be that accurate, as they have had problems with their rocketships. Besides...4 billion years is a long time, even if their prediction is off by a million or two.

.

[LCHIEN]

iT'LL BE A SLOW MOTION COLLISION. Won't happen for 4 billion years and it will take 2 billion years for us to pass thru one-another. Not likely to do much damage on collision as stellar density is low even tho there's billions of stars between the two galaxies.
Besides about the time the "collision" is over the sun will be reaching the end of its life and going red-giant on us. More certain than being hit in the collision.

[phrog]

Should I go ahead and max out my credit cards?

[TB Roye]

Richard

Wait a few years to get an exact date then go for it.

Wonder if my descendants will know who I was.


Tom

[conwaygolfer]

Tom - you will probably be remembered for several generations of decendants. After that your name most likely won't be mentioned and you will be forgotten. Sad as it seems, I believe that is the way it is. Unless you are filthy rich and leave it all to the heirs. Then they may remember your name a bit longer.

Conwaygolfer

[LCHIEN]

other things to worry about:

Solar Flares - intense coronal mass ejections - could induce huge currents in electrical conductor wiping out power grids, computer networks. The resulting damage could completely disrupt all services and give resulting social upheaval. We have experience very large ones in recorded history but none since we've become dependent on electricity, telecommunications and computers.

Solar burnout - in about 5 billion years the sun will use up it hydrogen and start burning heavier elements. It will swell and its diameter will be larger than the earth's orbit burning us up. But, starting a billion years before the hydrogen runs out, the sun will get much, much hotter and probably boil away all our water. Indeed, its already getting steadily hotter.

NEO - near earth objects - a large asteroid or other space object will strike the earth and be so large (an extinction level event) as to wipe out lands with tsunamis or blast damage. and a resulting cloud of dust may put the survivors back to the ice ages. Clearly there have been large collisions and damage is apparent on other planets we can see. These things come around every few million years.

Magnetic pole reversal. THis has occurred on the average every 200,000 years and as frequently as 70 years apart so we are way overdue. the ferromagnetic core of the earth changes and the magnetic field over many years will flop. During that time the field may drop to extremely low levels exposing us to huge levels of ionizing radiation that the magnetic field protects us from and we may all die of skin cancer.

heat death of the universe - the average temperature of all matter in the universe is very low - near absolute zero because of all the dust matter. As the universe ages, it all will tend to entropy where everything reaches a uniform, cold temperature and thermally driven process will no longer work, at which time the universe will be dead.

[TB Roye]

Your right, when my Grandkids are gone will be the end. Who should I leave my ashes to? My sister and I bought a crypt at a local cemetery to put our family ashes in. right now there are 6 sets. Have plenty of room for more.

Tom

[cabinetman]

Tom - you will probably be remembered for several generations of decendants. After that your name most likely won't be mentioned and you will be forgotten. Sad as it seems, I believe that is the way it is. Unless you are filthy rich and leave it all to the heirs. Then they may remember your name a bit longer.

Conwaygolfer

You might be remembered if you carve/mark/sign all your work. If any of that survives there is a possibility.

.

[BobSch]

Let's see, 4 billion years or six months. Should we believe NASA or the Aztecs?

[phrog]

Let's see, 4 billion years or six months. Should we believe NASA or the Aztecs?

Go with the Aztecs. Max out those credit cards, Bob. You need some new tools anyway.

[Pappy]

Tom - Unless you are filthy rich and leave it all to the heirs. Then they may remember your name a bit longer.

Conwaygolfer

Leave it all to your pet dog and cat. They will not only remember your name, but will say it every day with a wide variety of expletives....

[gsmittle]

Loring, you're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?

According to Brian Greene, after the expansion of the universe reverses, we'll be in for the Big Splat.

g.

[BigguyZ]

According to Brian Greene, after the expansion of the universe reverses, we'll be in for the Big Splat.

g.

I saw a TED talk with Brian Greene, and I think the conclusion was that we're still seeing inflationary expansion, and there may not be a big splat....

[gsmittle]

I saw a TED talk with Brian Greene, and I think the conclusion was that we're still seeing inflationary expansion, and there may not be a big splat....

That's a relief!

g.