Timeline of the Universe

This is a timeline that attempts to show the best scientific estimates of
the age of past events and predictions of the approximate timing of
hypothetical future events with cosmological significance. Some locally
significant events of interest to members of Homo sapiens are also included.
See estimates of the date of Creation for alternative views based on
religious tradition. (Note: in this context, billion means 1,000,000,000).

The distant past

   * 13.7 ± 0.2 billion years ago: Universe begins with Big Bang
        o Note: the Big Bang is dated according to NASA's Wilkinson
          Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data
        o for details of what is believed to have happened immediately after
          the Big Bang, see timeline of the Big Bang
   * 300 thousand years after the Big Bang, hydrogen nuclei capture
     electrons, forming the first atoms
   * 600 million years after the Big Bang: formation of first galaxies, see
     Galaxy formation and evolution

   * 5 billion years ago: formation of the Sun
   * 4.5 billion years ago: formation of the Earth -- start of geologic
     timescale
   * 3.5 billion years ago: first signs of single-celled life on Earth
   * 600 to 500 million years ago: multicellular life evolves

The human era

   * 2.5 to 2 million years ago: evolution of Homo sapiens
   * for the past and present of mankind, see centuries
        o 12 to 10 thousand years ago: Homo sapiens invents agriculture;
          start of human civilization
        o 1961: men first orbit the Earth in spacecraft

The far future

   * 3 billion years from now: Milky Way and Andromeda collide
   * 5 billion years from now: the Sun becomes a red giant

Problems with estimating the age of the universe

Since human observations cover a very short time interval and relatively
short distance, making detailed predictions about the distant future or
distant past is difficult. Humans can only observe a fraction of the total
universe, and the observations cover a very short time interval. It is
possible that our current understanding of physics contains errors that are
only noticable on a very large time scale or very large astronomical scale.

How to - Physics - History - Companies - Internet - Video Games - List of Phobias - September 11, 2001
Radio - Timelines - Chemistry - Genealogy - Family - Film - SARS - Cancer - Medicine - DVD - Calendar
Countries - Disease - Health Science - Dentistry - Economics - AIDS - Law - Autism - Statistics - Bible
Recipes - Architecture - Computers - History of the Internet - Personal computer - Apple Macintosh
War - Presidents of the United States - United States Constitution - Universe - Philosophy - Animals
Biology - United States Constitution - Marketing Topics - Sports - Television - History of Computing

Flights - Mobile Phones - Credit Card Consolidation - Wedding rings - Art Prints