As our understanding of the universe develops, new ideas will emerge which might transform our knowledge of the nature of space and time. One expanding field is gravitational wave astronomy, devoted to the discovery of so-called gravitational waves. These ripples in the curvature of space-time are predicted by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, but they haven’t been discovered yet. When they are, they’ll provide a wealth of new information about some of the most violent physical processes in the universe. Einstein’s theory will be put to the ultimate test…

An upcoming NASA mission to orbit the Sun is designed to study gravitational waves. There’ll be three spacecraft forming a massive triangle with sides 5 million kilometres long, and laser beams will relay signals between them.

The search for life in the rest of the universe will continue into the rest of the 21st Century. The search is on for Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars, where conditions might be favourable enough to support life.

In terms of very long-term future, we know that the Sun will last at least another 5 billion years. After this the universe will eventually get gradually colder, darker, and less exciting. How and whether the universe will ultimately come to an end is not something we have any definite answers to yet.