A Colossal Collision

Our universe is a collection of our galaxies in the shape of a pretzel.

What would happen if it were to collied with another universe?

It might be fascinating to watch but we should probably be worried about what would happen when they crash, how it would change the physics of our universe.

Is there any chance that we would survive? What would the Collision look like from Earth? And has it ever happened before?

Previously, this is what would occur if our universe were to collide with another one. The indication of a universal collision that has been identified so far exists in the form of a cold spot in our universe. In 2013, the European Space Agency's Planck satellite verified that this region spans 1.8 billion light years, significantly colder than the rest of space, and appears to be missing 10,000 galaxies. Although they were initially baffled by its existence, scientists now propose that this spot might be a kind of scar or bruise resulting from a collision with another universe. However, we are not yet certain of this. If this is indeed the case, how much time would pass before such an event recurs?

Before delving deeper, it's essential to address something that might cause confusion. Typically, when we mention the universe, we refer to all space and time, encompassing planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. Logically, one might assume that there can only be one universe, considering it comprises everything in existence. Yet, some scientists entertain the idea of a multiverse. According to this theory, our universe isn't the only one originating from the "Big Bang"; instead, there are an infinite number of other universes that await our discovery. If this is accurate, these parallel universes might have expanded and collided during the same time-frame after the "Big Bang", leading us back to the mysterious cold spot.

The cold spot, 0.0015 degrees colder than the rest of the universe, has prompted scientists to explore the possibility that it signifies more than a mere anomaly. They speculate that it could be a scar, remnant from a collision between universes, with the crash displacing energy and causing the a temperature drop, that has been measured, in that specific region. Although the exact nature of what such a colossal collision would look like remains uncertain, intriguing concepts have emerged.

As per a physicist from the University of California, if another universe were to collide with ours, it would appear as a colossal mirror in the sky rushing towards us. This is because the wall of the incoming universe would reflect light. This collision could bring about an entirely new set of governing laws of physics. Gravity might weaken or vanish altogether, causing numerous planets to break free from the gravitational pull of their stars and hurtle into space at astonishing speeds. In the absence of gravity, stars would no longer exist, plunging us into eternal darkness.

The results of such an event would make life on Earth and throughout most of the universe nearly impossible. Without shining stars, essential sources of nourishment and breathable air would be lost, this is because plants would no longer have the capacity to convert light into energy through photosynthesis. Despite the grim scenario described, the likelihood of our universe colliding with another one is very small. Firstly, we aren't certain that other universes even exist. Above that, any potential collisions would have occurred during the expansion phase approximately 380,000 years after the "Big Bang", making the probability of it recuring again extremely low.

So, if concerns about collisions are on your mind, perhaps directing your worries towards something more realistic, like an asteroid, would be more prudent. However, that's a story for another time.

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