The Scale of the Universe

This is a pair of easy-to-understand scales of the Universe. Distances are explained using the time taken by a light beam to travel. Time is explained by condensing the life of the Universe into a single year.

Distance

Light travels at 300,000 kilometres per second (186,000 miles per second). In a single second a beam of light can travel SEVEN TIMES around the Earth. This table shows a number of distances to various objects expressed in terms of how long a beam of light takes to travel that distance.

Astronomical Distance		How Long Light Takes to Travel This Distance

From Earth to the Moon our natural satellite		1.25 seconds

From Earth to the Sun the centre of our Solar System		8.3 minutes

From the Sun to Jupiter the largest planet		41 minutes

From the Sun to Saturn the furthest naked eye planet		85 minutes

From the Sun to Pluto the furthest of the Sun's planets		5.5 hours

From the Sun to Alpha Centauri the nearest star to us		4.3 years

From the Sun to Sirius the brightest star in our sky		8.6 years

From the Sun to 61 Cygni the first star to have its distance measured		11.2 years

From the Sun to Pollux one of the twin stars in Gemini		35 years

From the Sun to Castor one of the twin stars in Gemini		45 years

Distance where the Sun would no longer be visible to naked eye		60 years

From the Sun to Aldebaran the brightest star in Taurus		70 years

From the Sun to Regulus the brightest star in Leo		85 years

From the Sun to Spica the brightest star in Virgo		215 years

From the Sun to Acrux the brightest star in the Southern Cross		260 years

From the Sun to the Pleiades the Seven Sisters star cluster in Taurus		410 years

From the Sun to Antares the brightest star in Scorpio		425 years

From the Sun to Betelgeux the red star in Orion		590 years

From the Sun to Polaris the north pole star		650 years

From the Sun to Rigel the blue star in Orion		880 years

From the Sun to Deneb the brightest star in Cygnus, the Swan		1,630 years

From the Sun to M67 the Beehive star cluster in Cancer		2,700 years

From the Sun to the Crab Nebula remnant of an exploded star in Taurus		3,500 years

From the Sun to the Double Cluster a star cluster in Perseus		7,200 years

From the Sun to Omega Centauri the brightest globular star cluster		15,600 years

From the Sun to M13 the globular star cluster in Hercules		26,700 years

From the Sun to the Galactic centre the centre of our Galaxy		31,000 years

Galactic diameter the diameter of our Galaxy		81,500 years

From the Sun to the Magellanic Clouds the nearest external galaxies		170,000 years

To the Andromeda Galaxy the nearest large galaxy		2,200,000 years

To NGC300 the farthest of the Local Group of galaxies		3,250,000 years

To M81 spiral galaxy in Ursa Major		9,800,000 years

To M104 the Sombrero Galaxy		14,350,000 years

To M87 a spherical galaxy in Virgo		35,900,000 years

Extinction of the dinosaurs		65,000,000 years

To Perseus Group a group of 500 galaxies in Perseus		190,000,000 years

To Coma Group a group of 1000 galaxies in Coma Berenices		225,000,000 years

To Hercules Group a group of galaxies in Hercules		350,000,000 years

To Boötes Group a group of 150 galaxies in Boötes		1,240,000,000 years

To 3C273 the first quasar discovered		2,000,000,000 years

To Q0134+329 typical quasar		4,500,000,000 years

Formation of the Earth and Sun		4,700,000,000 years

To remotest quasars discovered in 1998		14,000,000,000 years

Edge of Universe limit of observable Universe		15,000,000,000 years

This is well summarised in Monty Python's Galaxy Song.

Time

This table shows a number of events in the history of the Universe and the Earth. This is expressed as occurring during a calendar year. The calendar year is assumed to be equivalent to 15,000,000,000 real years.

Event		Calendar Date and Time

The Big Bang occurs		1st January at Midnight

Stable atoms form		1st January at 00:24:31

First stars and galaxies form		around 15th March

Formation of the Sun		8th September

Formation of the Earth		12th September

Formation of the Moon		13th September

Formation of the Earth's atmosphere		20th September

Oldest Earth rocks		30th September

Earliest evidence of life on Earth		1st October

Oldest known fossils (single celled organisms)		7th October

Formation of stable continents		20th October

Formation of extensive shallow seas		1st November

Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere		10th November

First multi-cellular life		18th December

First shellfish and corals		19th December

First vertebrates (fishes)		20th December

First land plants		21st December

First insects		early 22nd December

First terapods and seed bearing plants		late 22nd December

First reptiles		23rd December 5:26pm

First mammal-like reptiles		24th December 4:48pm

First dinosaurs		26th December 6:26pm

First mammals (egg-layers and marsupials)		26th December 9:21pm

First birds		28th December 8:24am

First flowering plants		28th December 5:10pm

First placental mammals		29th December 1:36pm

Extinction of the dinosaurs		30th December 10:02am

First primates		30th December 4:27pm

First monkeys		31st December 0:38am

First apes		31st December 8:49am

First hominoids		31st December 6:09pm

First hominids		31st December 9:05pm

First tool-making man (Homo Habilis)		31st December 11:00pm

Homo Sapiens		31st December 11:25pm

Last ice age (maximum extent)		31st December 11:59:22pm

Writing invented		31st December 11:59:47pm

Ancient Egypt / Hinduism		31st December 11:59:50pm

Ancient China / Judaism		31st December 11:59:53.3pm

Ancient Greece / Buddhism		31st December 11:59:54.7pm

Christianity		31st December 11:59:55.8pm

Islam		31st December 11:59:57.0pm

Marco Polo		31st December 11:59:58.4pm

Galileo		31st December 11:59:59.2pm

USA Independence		31st December 11:59:59.5pm

Albert Einstein		31st December 11:59:59.8pm

Mount Everest climbed / Kryss Katsiavriades born		31st December 11:59:59.9pm

A Brief History of Astronomy
How humanity came from Creation Myths to the Inflationary Big Bang. The key stages in our understanding of our place in the cosmos and the people behind them.

Link

The Official Superstring Web Site
An excellent site containing information about superstrings and cosmology.

[Home Page] [Astronomy Page]
[We Are Stardust] [Extraterrestrial Life] [Coordinate Systems] [The Calendar]
[History of Astronomy] [Astronomy and Astrology] [The Brightest Stars] [The Solar System]

Comments, suggestions, or corrections to Kryss at webmaster@krysstal.com

Books From Amazon

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Beginnings : The Story of Origins, of Mankind, Life, the Earth, the Universe covers the history of the Universe from the Big Bang through the evolution of life up to the present. As it is by Isaac Asimov, it is very well written and extremely readable.	0425115860	0425115860

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The Scale of the Universe

Distance

Time

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