The Next Universe: Introduction (05:06)

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Roger Penrose, the author of “The Cycles of Time,” discusses the continual and indefinite expansion of the universe; he asserts there existed something before the big bang which will remain after eternity. Albert Einstein’s dark energy is what pushes the universe apart.

Spreading of the Universe (06:36)

Penrose explains that, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, things become more and more random as time continues. The entropy measures randomness, and it was originally thought the biggest source of entropy in the universe was the microwave background but is now black holes.

Photons Going Into Eternity (07:46)

After the end of our universe, the only organisms left to experience the boring emptiness will be photons which do not experience the passage of time; Penrose discusses Einstein’s special theory of relativity. Precise clocks used for physics are also the way in which the length of a meter is measured in terms of a fraction of a light second.

Collusion of Black Holes (06:51)

Penrose asserts once an aeon comes to an end the big bang of the previous aeon can be detected; an aeon is not defined as a set length of time, but instead is known as the time from one big bang to its end. The Andromeda Galaxy’s black hole and the one at the Milky Way Galaxy's center are currently on a collision course.

Signals From Aeons Prior (08:22)

Penrose asserts dark energy is Einstein’s cosmological constant though it is an unknown body; dark matter, a more concrete substance, contributes to the mass of galaxies in a significant way. Signals of a previous aeon’s big boom would appear as rings in the sky which are cooler or hotter depending on the direction of their movement.

Credits: The Next Universe (00:20)

Credits: The Next Universe