The universe is expanding, and it is accelerating. If this continues, the future of astronomy is going to be very lonely. This scenario is known as the "Big Freeze." Dark energy is currently pushing galaxies apart faster and faster. If this force remains constant or gets stronger, distant galaxies will eventually be pushed so far away that their light can no longer reach us. Billions of years from now, the night sky will change dramatically. The Milky Way will have merged with Andromeda to form