Online Encyclopedia Search Tool

Your Online Encyclopedia

 

Online Encylopedia and Dictionary Research Site

Online Encyclopedia Free Search Online Encyclopedia Search    Online Encyclopedia Browse    welcome to our free dictionary for your research of every kind

Online Encyclopedia



Timeline of the Universe

This timeline attempts to show the best scientific estimates of the timings 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 Dating Creation for alternative views based on religious tradition. (Note: in this context, billion means 1,000,000,000).

Contents

The Big Bang

See also timeline of the Big Bang for the first 300,000 years after the Big Bang.

The distant past

  • 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 (~8.7 billion years after the Big Bang): 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

...
  • 40,000 years from now, Voyager 2 will approach another planetary system.

The far future

See also 1019 seconds for times further than 3 billion years into the future.


See also:


Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45