Last Contact by Stephen Baxter

"Last Contact" is a 2007 science fiction short story by Stephen Baxter. It is about a field of dark energy that is devouring the entire universe. Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell: "Last Contact" follows two women, Maureen and Caitlin, as they live through the last few months of Earth's existence. Maureen is intent on fixing up the yard at the new house she's just bought in Oxford, while her daughter Caitlin, an astrophysicist, is helping the public understand and cope with what is about to happen. As the "Big Rip" gets closer to Earth, some people quit their jobs and do the things they've always wanted to do, while other people, like Maureen, hope to continue living normally right up to the very end. Maureen said carefully, "I take it the news is what you expected, then." "Pretty much. The Hawaii observatories confirmed it. I've seen the new Hubble images, deep sky fields. Empty, save for the foreground objects. All the galaxies beyond the local group have gone. Eerie, really, seeing…