Life is but a vapor, and the universe is vast. Its history is way past ancient. The timeline of the universe is almost unfathomable.

If we take a look at this timeline of the universe, we see ourselves as an equivalent of only a few seconds. Can you imagine the true scope of this? There are no words which can describe the immensity of this knowledge.

The Timeline of the Universe

A timeline of the universe shows the absolute beginning and the probable end. This graphic of the timeline was created by Martin Vargic, Slovak graphic designer. This chart covers 13.8 billion years of space and describes what will probably happen 10 billion years into the future.

This means we can see what will happen in the end times as he categorizes the effects of space, earth, humanity and life.

The Oldest Star

In the beginning, there was light. Well, of course, there was a huge bang! This loud explosion was the first breath of the universe, and out of this birth came the oldest known star, Methuselah.

This ancient body is about 190 light years away from earth. When first discovered, Methuselah caused quite a stir with astronomers as it was mistaken to be over 16 billion years old, which is older than the birth of the universe. Obviously, that was impossible. In 2013, the true age of Methuselah was discovered by combining data of structure, composition, brightness and distance.

Howard Bond, lead researcher Pennsylvania State University, stated,

Put all these ingredients together and you get an age of 14.5 billion years with a residual uncertainty that makes the star’s age compatible with the age of the universe.”

This uncertainty, spoken of, could mean a difference of 800 years of so. In the larger scheme of things, it doesn’t make much difference.

After the birth of the first star, there were numerous happenings until the birth of man. At 4.2 billion years ago life on earth emerged. Many stars formed and nebulae swirled in the black cosmos-all this before our planet was even born.

Journey through Time

If you scroll down the timeline, you will see miracle after miracle emerge in the history before mankind. What an adventure! Unfortunately, as you move past present time, you will see the coming of the end.

During this time, technology will explode with visions of common colonies on planets within and outside of our galaxy. Saturn’s rings will dissolve and a heat like no other will envelop the earth. Finally, the sun will lose its hydrogen and the end of the remainder of the universe will begin. Sounds horrendous, doesn’t it.

Beautiful and deadly in its perfection, the timeline of the universe and our existence in it leaves us awestruck. Here’s the good news. By the time the earth is gone, we will be long dead.

Now, don’t you feel better? Maybe not, but these are the facts so far. We are small and hold a small moment in time. You see… Life is but a vapor.

timeline of the universe infographic

References:

  1. Science Alert

Copyright © 2012-2024 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.

power of misfits book banner desktop

Like what you are reading? Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss new thought-provoking articles!

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Mike

    A lovely piece. My only misunderstanding is how Maui (Haleakala peaks over 10k ft.) disappears under the ocean in 20 million years, and then 60 million years later, Hawai’i (Mauna Kea peaks at 13k ft., only 3k more ft. than Maui) disappears under the ocean. 1.) Why does it take so much longer for the big island to disappear, and 2.) Why are these marked events, when this would mean that 99% of earth’s land mass should be underwater (a surely more marked event)?

    Also, at time of comment, elephants are reported in timeline as being twice the age of the universe. I do not know if this is an error or an Easter egg for the origins of the universe.

  2. Brandon Hart

    wow. so freaking awesome and interesting.I like.

  3. Daine

    Wisconsin…. has an active fault lines/underground lava movement in the core under our feet maybe miles down under.. maybe and it’s the mid continental rift area! or the volcanoes and or earthquakes hitting waves each other causing internal USA land problems!??Read this mind thought!

Leave a Reply