In a shocking overthrow of the cosmic countdown, scientists have discovered that the universe may come to an end much earlier than we thought – though “earlier” means … a quinvigintillion years from now. This is a number with 78 zeros.

A research team from Radboud University in the Netherlands discovered that not only black holes, but also neutron stars and white dwarfs – the remnants of dead stars – can eventually evaporate due to a Hawking radiation process. This discovery dramatically reduces the expected life of the universe, from 10¹¹⁰⁰ to “just” 10⁷⁸ years.

For decades, physicists have believed that Hawking radiation is only applied to black holes. However, this new study shows that all objects with a strong gravitational field-even the “dead” stars-can slowly evaporate. As they dissolve, they become unstable and eventually exploded, leading the universe to a quiet, slow “erasing”.

“By understanding how much time these stars take to die, we can better appreciate how much the universe will last“, Explained by lead researcher Heino Falcke. “The end comes much sooner than we thought – but fortunately, it’s still unthinkable too far away“

The findings also give new impetus to Stephen Hawking’s once controversial theory that black holes can shrink and disappear by emitting radiation, against Einstein’s predictions that they can only grow.

Yes, then – the universe will “die” much faster than we imagined. But don’t worry: Humanity has plenty of time.