(Click on each picture to maximize it)
- 13.7 billion years ago, the big-bang created all the building blocks (elementary particles) of our universe. The universe was dominated by the quantum mechanics. Gravity (one of the building block) is so week to have any significant influence.
- The universe expanded faster than the speed of light (Inflation)
- The big-bang afterglow light after 400,000 years. This is captured by WMAP satellite (also shown below). Past and future can be derived from this baby universe.
- There was a dark period with no light (electro-magnetic wave).
- The elementary particles slowly combined together formed basic atoms. They combined and pulled together by gravity and formed 1st star and hence light about 400 million years after the big-bang. The Stars created other atoms that planets and life are made of (We are made of star dust!).
- The universe has been evolving and expanding. In the recent past, as the universe expanded enough, the dark energy became stronger than the attracting gravity, and hence the universe is expanding at faster rate.
This is our galaxy Milky Way one of billions of such galaxies in the known universe. It has 200 billion stars. Our sun (indicated as 'We are here') located in one of its spiral arm. (If clicking on the image does not work, try here)
[Tree of life, from inner circle (4000 million years ago) to outer circle (today)] =>
- Our earth is 4500 million years old. The first living cell molecule formed 4000 million years ago. The natural selection process led to simple to complex organisms; from Bacteria, plants to animals (from left side to right side). Note the humans (Mammals) at the end.
- Note the global ice ages and mass extinctions at different times. The last mass extinction killed the dinosaurs (65 million years ago). As the bottom text in the picture says, this picture only shows a few of those organisms that have gone extinct. The evolution process seems to have created a suitable design to the environment because all those bad designs were died out.
*** These pictures belong to different websites (Google Search). When they are clicked, it will directly go to the original sites.