introduction

Welcome to a brief descriptive timeline of the universe. Click on any event shown on the diagram to the left to read a description of it. They collectively outline the history and future of the universe with respect to formation and change.

According to the Big Bang model, the universe began with all matter and energy concentrated to very high density and temperature about fifteen billion years ago. The present universe expanded and cooled from this state. During the lifetime of the universe, radiation and particles were created, and clumped together, allowing stars and planets to form. Following a brief appearance of life, it is predicted that stars will burn out, initiating three eras of darkness and decay.

The analysis has adopted the relatively new inflationary model of the universe, rather than the original big bang model and, in the context of the future of the universe, the increasing expansion model is used rather than any big crunch or steady state theories. The universe is here discussed as having three basic eras: the high-energy physics era, lasting only a moment; the radiation era, lasting for minutes; and the stelliferous era, lasting for a ridiculous number of years.

Contemporary theories of cosmology are based on examinations of cosmic background radiation and looking into deep space, which is comparable to looking back in time, as light images take so long to reach Earth. Technology is still progressing in this respect and it is only recently that such information has come to light. Furthermore, the indirect methods used are not necessarily completely reliable. As such, there are many uncertainties about the evolution of the universe.

- ASh