History of the Universe Flashcards
What happened at 0 seconds (1)?
The Big Bang
All energy confined into a singularity, time and space are created
What happened at 10^-43 seconds (2)?
Gravity separates first from the three other fundamental forces
What happened at 10^-35 seconds (3)?
The universe expands, undergoing a spectacular acceleration known as INFLATION
What happened at 10^-6 seconds (4)?
Particles gain mass, quarks form
What happened at 1 second (5)?
The first complete particles form, protons and neutrons form from a very hot soup of quarks and gluons.
What happened at 3 seconds (6)?
The first elements (mostly hydrogen and helium) form
What happened after 350,000 years (7)?
The universe’s temperature drops enough for protons and neutrons to capture electrons
What happened after 30 million years (8)?
Stars first appear in the universe
What happened after 200 million years (9)?
Milky Way forms
What happened after 9 billion years (10)?
Earth’s solar system forms
What happened after 10 billion years (11)?
Life on Earth begins
What happened after 11 billion years (12)?
Oxygen accumulates in the Earth’s atmosphere
What happened after 13.5 billion years (13)?
First mammals evolved
What happened after 13.7 billion years (14)?
Early humans evolve in Africa
Timeline of the universe:
- The Big Bang
- Gravity separates first from the three other fundamental forces
- Inflation
- Particles gain mass, quarks form
- The first complete particles form (protons and neutrons)
- The first elements form
-electrons are captured - Stars first appear in the universe
- Milky Way forms
- Earth’s solar system forms
-Life on Earth begins - Oxygen accumulates in the Earth’s atmosphere
- First mammals evolved
-Early humans evolve in Africa
