Science

Time since the beginning, left to right. Tap any step to open it on the map.

1. 1. 0 – 10⁻⁴³ sabove 10³² KPlanck epochGravity and quantum effects are equally strong; today's physics can't describe it.
2. 2. 10⁻⁴³ – 10⁻³⁶ s~10²⁸–10³² KGrand unificationThe strong, weak and electromagnetic forces may have been one force (unproven).
3. 3. ~10⁻³⁶ – 10⁻³² ssupercooledCosmic inflationIn the leading theory (well supported, not proven), space grows at least 10²⁶-fold and quantum jitters are stretched into the seeds of galaxies.
4. 4. ~10⁻³² shot again (exact value unknown)ReheatingIn inflation theory, the inflaton's energy turns into particles and heat: the hot Big Bang begins.
5. 5. ~10⁻¹² s~10¹⁵ KHiggs switches onThe Higgs field switches on, particles gain mass, and the weak force splits from electromagnetism.
6. 6. very early (timing unknown)Matter beats antimatterFor every billion antimatter particles there were about a billion and one of matter. The leftover one is us.
7. 7. ~10⁻⁵ s~2 × 10¹² KProtons formQuarks and gluons stop roaming free and lock into protons and neutrons.
8. 8. ~1 s~10¹⁰ KNeutrinos break freeNeutrinos stop interacting and stream freely; they still fill space today.
9. 9. ~3 – 20 minutes~10⁹ KFirst elementsProtons and neutrons fuse into helium (about a quarter by mass) plus traces of deuterium and lithium.
10. 10. ~380,000 years~3,000 KCMB afterglowElectrons join nuclei to make atoms, and light travels freely for the first time.
11. 11. 380,000 – ~100 million years3,000 K → ~85 KDark agesNo stars yet. Dark matter quietly pulls gas into clumps.
12. 12. ~100 – 200 million yearsFirst starsHuge, short-lived stars of pure hydrogen and helium are thought to ignite. Models predict them; telescopes have not confirmed one yet.
13. 13. ~150 million – 1 billion yearsReionizationUltraviolet light from stars and galaxies splits hydrogen apart again, clearing the fog.
14. 14. ~300 million yearsFirst galaxiesJWST sees bright galaxies already formed, earlier than many models expected.
15. 15. billions of yearsGalaxies & cosmic webGalaxies merge and gather into clusters along filaments of dark matter.
16. 16. ongoingStars forge elementsGenerations of stars forge carbon, oxygen and iron; exploding and colliding stars spread them.
17. 17. ~7.5–10 billion years (~6–3.5 billion years ago)Dark energyAbout 6 billion years ago dark energy's push beats matter's pull and the expansion starts speeding up; by about 3.5 billion years ago dark energy outweighs all matter.
18. 18. ~9.2 billion years (4.6 billion years ago)Sun & Earth formA gas cloud enriched by earlier stars collapses into the Sun, Earth and planets.
19. 19. 13.8 billion years: today2.7 K (the CMB today)You are stardustYou: hydrogen from the first minutes and heavier atoms from long-dead stars.
20. 20. the far futureHow it endsMost likely a slow, cold "heat death"; a Big Rip or Big Crunch only if dark energy changes.