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Diagram of Evolution of the universe from the Big Bang (left) to the present
The timeline of the universe begins with the Big Bang, 13.799 ± 0.021 billion years ago, and follows the formation and subsequent evolution of the Universe up to the present day.
Each era or age of the universe begins with an "epoch," a time of significant change. Times on this list are relative to the moment of the Big Bang.
c. 0 seconds (13.799 ± 0.021 Gya): Planck epoch begins: earliest meaningful time. Conjecture dominates discussion about the earliest moments of the universe's history. The Big Bang occurs in which ordinary space and time develop out of a primeval state (possibly a virtual particle or false vacuum) described by a quantum theory of gravity or "Theory of everything". All matter and energy of the entire visible universe is contained in a hot, dense point (gravitational singularity), a billionth the size of a nuclear particle. This state has been described as a particle desert. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) or dark matter and dark energy may have appeared and been the catalyst for the expansion of the singularity. The infant universe cools as it begins expanding. It is almost completely smooth, with quantum variations beginning to cause slight variations in density.
Grand unification epoch
c. 10 seconds: Grand unification epoch begins: While still at an infinitesimal size, the universe cools down to 10 kelvin. Gravity separates and begins operating on the universe—the remaining fundamental forces stabilize into the electronuclear force, also known as the Grand Unified Force or Grand Unified Theory (GUT), mediated by (the hypothetical) X and Y bosons which allow early matter at this stage to fluctuate between baryon and lepton states.
c. 10 seconds: Space is subjected to inflation, expanding by a factor of the order of 10 over a time of the order of 10 to 10 seconds. The universe is supercooled from about 10 down to 10 kelvin.
c. 10 seconds: Baryogenesis may have taken place with matter gaining the upper hand over anti-matter as baryon to antibaryon constituencies are established.
Hadron epoch
c. 10 seconds: Hadron epoch begins: As the universe cools to about 10 kelvin, a quark-hadron transition takes place in which quarks bind to form more complex particles—hadrons. This quark confinement includes the formation of protons and neutrons (nucleons), the building blocks of atomic nuclei.
Lepton epoch
c. 1 second: Lepton epoch begins: The universe cools to 10 kelvin. At this temperature, the hadrons and antihadrons annihilate each other, leaving behind leptons and antileptons – possible disappearance of antiquarks. Gravity governs the expansion of the universe: neutrinos decouple from matter creating a cosmic neutrino background.
Photon epoch
c. 10 seconds: Photon epoch begins: Most leptons and antileptons annihilate each other. As electrons and positrons annihilate, a small number of unmatched electrons are left over – disappearance of the positrons.
c. 10 seconds: Universe dominated by photons of radiation – ordinary matter particles are coupled to light and radiation. In contrast, dark matter particles build non-linear structures as dark matter halos. The universe becomes a super-hot glowing fog because charged electrons and protons hinder light emission.
c. 20 minutes: Primordial nucleosynthesis ceases: normal matter consists of a mass of 75% hydrogen nuclei and 25% helium nuclei or one helium nucleus per twelve hydrogen nuclei– free electrons begin scattering light.
Matter era
Matter and radiation equivalence
c. 47,000 years (z=3600): Matter and radiation equivalence: at the beginning of this era, the expansion of the universe was decelerating at a faster rate.
c. 70,000 years: As the temperature falls, gravity overcomes pressure allowing the first aggregates of matter to form.
Cosmic Dark Age
All-sky map of the CMB, created from nine years of WMAP data
c. 370,000 years (z=1,100): The "Dark Ages" is the period between decoupling, when the universe first becomes transparent, until the formation of the first stars. Recombination: electrons combine with nuclei to form atoms, mostly hydrogen and helium. At this time, hydrogen and helium transport remains constant as the electron-baryon plasma thins. The temperature falls to 3,000 K (2,730 °C; 4,940 °F). Ordinary matter particles decouple from radiation. The photons present during the decoupling are the same photons seen in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation.
c. 400,000 years: Density waves begin imprinting characteristic polarization signals.
c. 10-17 million years: The "Dark Ages" span a period during which the temperature of cosmic microwave background radiation cooled from some 4,000 K (3,730 °C; 6,740 °F) down to about 60 K (−213.2 °C; −351.7 °F). The background temperature was between 373 and 273 K (100 and 0 °C; 212 and 32 °F), allowing the possibility of liquid water, during a period of about 7 million years, from about 10 to 17 million after the Big Bang (redshift 137–100). Avi Loeb (2014) speculated that primitive life might in principle have appeared during this window, which he called "the Habitable Epoch of the Early Universe".
Reionization
c. 100 million years: Gravitational collapse: ordinary matter particles fall into the structures created by dark matter. Reionization begins: smaller (stars) and larger non-linear structures (quasars) begin to take shape – their ultraviolet light ionizes remaining neutral gas.
200–300 million years: First stars begin to shine: Because many are Population III stars (some Population II stars are accounted for at this time) they are much bigger and hotter and their life cycle is fairly short. Unlike later generations of stars, these stars are metal free. Reionization begins, with the absorption of certain wavelengths of light by neutral hydrogen creating Gunn–Peterson troughs. The resulting ionized gas (especially free electrons) in the intergalactic medium causes some scattering of light, but with much lower opacity than before recombination due the expansion of the universe and clumping of gas into galaxies.
300 million years: First large-scale astronomical objects, protogalaxies and quasars may have begun forming. As Population III stars continue to burn, stellar nucleosynthesis operates – stars burn mainly by fusing hydrogen to produce more helium in what is referred to as the main sequence. Over time these stars are forced to fuse helium to produce carbon, oxygen, silicon and other heavy elements up to iron on the periodic table. These elements, when seeded into neighbouring gas clouds by supernova, will lead to the formation of more Population II stars (metal poor) and gas giants.
320 million years (z=13.3): HD1, the oldest-known spectroscopically-confirmed galaxy, forms.
380 million years: UDFj-39546284 forms, current record holder for unconfirmed oldest-known quasar.
420 million years: The quasar MACS0647-JD, the, or one of the, furthest known quasars, forms.
600 million years: HE 1523-0901, the oldest star found producing neutron capture elements forms, marking a new point in ability to detect stars with a telescope.
630 million years (z=8.2): GRB 090423, the oldest gamma-ray burst recorded suggests that supernovas may have happened very early on in the evolution of the Universe
Galaxy epoch
< 1 billion years, (13 Gya): first stars in the central bar portion of the Milky Way are born,
2.6 billion years (11 Gya): first stars in the thick disk region of the Milky Way are formed.
Notable cosmological and other events of the natural history depicted in a spiral. In the center left the primal supernova can be seen and continuing the creation of the Sun, the Earth and the Moon (by Theia impact) can be seen
9.257 billion years (4.543–4.5 Gya): Solar System of Eight planets, four terrestrial (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) evolve around the Sun. Because of accretion many smaller planets form orbits around the proto-Sun some with conflicting orbits – Early Heavy Bombardment begins. Precambrian Supereon and Hadean eon begin on Earth. Pre-Noachian Era begins on Mars. Pre-Tolstojan Period begins on Mercury – a large planetoid strikes Mercury stripping it of outer envelope of original crust and mantle, leaving the planet's core exposed – Mercury's iron content is notably high. Many of the Galilean moons may have formed at this time including Europa and Titan which may presently be hospitable to some form of living organism.
9.266 billion years (4.533 Gya): Formation of Earth-Moon system following giant impact by hypothetical planetoid Theia (planet). Moon's gravitational pull helps stabilize Earth's fluctuating axis of rotation. Pre-Nectarian Period begins on Moon
9.271 billion years (4.529 Gya): Major collision with a pluto-sized planetoid establishes the Martian dichotomy on Mars – formation of North Polar Basin of Mars
9.3 billion years (4.5 Gya): Sun becomes a main sequence yellow star: formation of the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt from which a stream of comets like Halley's Comet and Hale-Bopp begins passing through the Solar System, sometimes colliding with planets and the Sun
9.396 billion years (4.404 Gya): Liquid water may have existed on the surface of the Earth, probably due to the greenhouse warming of high levels of methane and carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.
9.7 billion years (4.1 Gya): Resonance in Jupiter and Saturn's orbits moves Neptune out into the Kuiper belt causing a disruption among asteroids and comets there. As a result, Late Heavy Bombardment batters the inner Solar System. Herschel Crater formed on Mimas, a moon of Saturn. Meteorite impact creates the Hellas Planitia on Mars, the largest unambiguous structure on the planet. Anseris Mons an isolated massif (mountain) in the southern highlands of Mars, located at the northeastern edge of Hellas Planitia is uplifted in the wake of the meteorite impact
10.4 billion years (3.5 Gya): Earliest fossil traces of life on Earth (stromatolites)
10.6 billion years (3.2 Gya): Amazonian Period begins on Mars: Martian climate thins to its present density: groundwater stored in upper crust (megaregolith) begins to freeze, forming thick cryosphere overlying deeper zone of liquid water – dry ices composed of frozen carbon dioxide form Eratosthenian period begins on the Moon: main geologic force on the Moon becomes impact cratering
10.8 billion years (3 Gya): Beethoven Basin forms on Mercury – unlike many basins of similar size on the Moon, Beethoven is not multi ringed and ejecta buries crater rim and is barely visible
11.6 billion years (2.2 Gya): Last great tectonic period in Martian geologic history: Valles Marineris, largest canyon complex in the Solar System, forms – although some suggestions of thermokarst activity or even water erosion, it is suggested Valles Marineris is rift fault
Recent history
11.8 billion years (2 Gya): Star formation in Andromeda Galaxy slows. Formation of Hoag's Object from a galaxy collision. Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System, is formed
12.7 billion years (1.1 Gya): Copernican Period begins on Moon: defined by impact craters that possess bright optically immature ray systems
12.8 billion years (1 Gya): The Kuiperian Era (1 Gyr – present) begins on Mercury: modern Mercury, a desolate cold planet that is influenced by space erosion and solar wind extremes. Interactions between Andromeda and its companion galaxies Messier 32 and Messier 110. Galaxy collision with Messier 82 forms its patterned spiral disc: galaxy interactions between NGC 3077 and Messier 81; Saturn's moon Titan begins evolving the recognisable surface features that include rivers, lakes, and deltas
13 billion years (800 Mya): Copernicus (lunar crater) forms from the impact on the Lunar surface in the area of Oceanus Procellarum – has terrace inner wall and 30 km wide, sloping rampart that descends nearly a kilometre to the surrounding mare
13.175 billion years (625 Mya): formation of Hyades star cluster: consists of a roughly spherical group of hundreds of stars sharing the same age, place of origin, chemical content and motion through space
13.15-21 billion years (590–650 Mya): Capella star system forms
13.2 billion years (600 Mya): Collision of spiral galaxies leads to the creation of Antennae Galaxies. Whirlpool Galaxy collides with NGC 5195 forming a present connected galaxy system. HD 189733 b forms around parent star HD 189733: the first planet to reveal the climate, organic constituencies, even colour (blue) of its atmosphere
13.345 billion years (455 Mya): Vega, the fifth-brightest star in Earth's galactic neighbourhood, forms.
13.6–13.5 billion years (300-200 Mya): Sirius, the brightest star in the Earth's sky, forms.
13.7 billion years (100 Mya): Formation of Pleiades Star Cluster
13.73 billion years (70 Mya): North Star, Polaris, one of the significant navigable stars, forms
13.780 billion years (20 Mya): Possible formation of Orion Nebula
Collaborative (11 April 2007). "Discovery of HE 1523–0901". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 660. CaltechAUTHORS: L117 – L120. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
