An international team of astronomers has said the universe is dying.

They made the declaration after discovering the energy being generated within space is only half what it was two billion years ago.

Scientists based in Australia used seven of the world’s most powerful telescopes to study 200,000 galaxies.

Researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) used data from two orbiting space telescopes operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to draw their conclusions.

ICRAR Professor Simon Driver says: "While most of the energy sloshing around was created in the aftermath of the Big Bang, additional energy is constantly being released by stars as they fuse elements like hydrogen and helium together".

"This newly released energy is either absorbed by dust as it travels through the host galaxy, or escapes into intergalactic space and travels until it hits something such as another star, planet, or very occasionally a telescope mirror."

Certain to fail

The fact that the Universe is slowly fading has been known since the late 1990s but this work shows that it’s happening across all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the infrared, representing the most comprehensive assessment of the energy output of the nearby Universe.

"The Universe is fated to decline from here on in, like an old age that lasts forever. The Universe has basically plonked itself down on the sofa, pulled up a blanket and is about to nod off for an eternal doze," Professor Driver says.

The team of researchers hope to expand the work to map energy production over the entire history of the Universe.

The Galaxy and Mass Assembly catalogue is a detailed map of the Universe showing where galaxies are in 3D.