Timeline of the Universe

Description

This is a massive history timeline of the Universe, from 13.8 billion years ago to 10⁴⁰⁰ years in the future. To encompass such a large timespan with a meaningful resolution, parts of this universe timeline are drawn to scale.

The timeline illustrates the Universe’s origins according to the standard Big Bang Theory and the Cosmic Inflation proposal of Alan Guthh (MIT). The formation of the universe is divided into several cosmic epochs. The early universe was dense and small but, driven by cosmic inflation, grew rapidly to become the universe we know today.

 Nowadays, the Universe is in the Stelliferous Era, the era of stars. According to the well-known Five Ages of the Universe by Fred Adams (LSA, Michigan) and Greg Laughlin (Yale), in this era galaxies collide and new stars form and die. Each star’s lifecycle follows certain sequence phases that depend on the star size.

In addition to Milky Way and Solar System events, this timeline of the Universe displays key moments in the history of the Earth.

The timeline of the universe ends in the far future. It is expected that long-term, the history of the universe will end with a Big Freeze. According to the flat shape of the universe, the future of the universe will be dominated by black holes, dark energy, and ultimately, by emptiness.

For more information on the Earth’s history, see the Geological Time Scale. For a simple timeline of the universe from the Big Bang to humanity, see the Big History Thresholds timeline.

For each event, links are provided to access online articles, primary sources and related history timelines.

Online Articles

• Encyclopedia Britannica (75%)
• Wikipedia (91%)
• SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy (12%)
• Space.com (8%)
• Encyclopedia.com (6%)

Primary Sources

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Linked Timelines

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Additional information