Timeline of the Universe | Future | Timeline | 2050 | 2100 | 2150 | 2200 | 21st century | 22nd century | 23rd century | Far Future

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000 AD - The black hole era of the universe

Beyond 10¹⁰⁰ - The dark era of the universe

21st century | 22nd century | 23rd century | The Far Future | Beyond 10,000 AD

10,000-15,000 AD

The hypernova of Eta Carinae is affecting our region of the galaxy

Eta Carinae is among the largest, most volatile stars in our galaxy. Its temperature is so high that it is unable to hold onto its own gas, with constant streams being ejected from the surface. It first came to attention in 1843 when it flared to magnitude -0.8, becoming the second brightest star in the night sky.

It subsequently died down, before brightening again in the late 1990s. This fluctuation continues - with periodic flaring and dimming - until one day the inevitable happens. Unable to maintain its cohesion, Eta Carinae erupts into one of the deadliest known forces in nature: a hypernova.

For a brief period, this colossal explosion outshines the entire galaxy. It is bright enough to be visible during daytime on Earth, while at night, it is similar to the full moon.*

Of much greater concern, however, are the lethal jets of gamma radiation released by the dying star. These begin to shoot outward, at such high energies that even systems thousands of light years away are affected. As a result, numerous planets in our region of the galaxy undergo mass extinctions during this time.*

eta carinae hypernova future gamma ray burst
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Dana Berry

22,000 AD

The Chernobyl disaster site becomes fully safe

The Chernobyl explosion, which occurred in 1986, was the worst nuclear accident in history - affecting tens of thousands of square kilometres of land. Radiation at the centre of the former disaster zone has decayed to negligible levels by now.*

In any case, the original buildings on site have long since disappeared and indeed, Earth itself would be unrecognisable today.

chernobyl future plans 22000 years radiation
Credit: CIA Factbook

35,000 AD

Ross 248 becomes the closest star to our Sun

Alpha Centauri was previously the closest star. Ross 248 is a red dwarf, with approximately 12% of the Sun's mass and 16% of the Sun's radius, but only 0.2% of its luminosity. However - it is also a "flare star", that periodically undergoes sudden, dramatic increases in brightness for a few minutes.

In 2010, Ross 248 was 10.3 light years from Earth, with a radial velocity of -81 km/s. By 35,000 AD, it is closer than Alpha Centauri. It reaches its closest point in 38,000 AD - moving to within 3.1 light years - before receding again, becoming further from the Sun than Alpha Centauri in 44,000 AD.

Credit: NASA

296,000 AD

Voyager 2 is approaching Sirius

Voyager 2 was an unmanned space probe launched in 1977 to investigate the outer planets of the solar system. Identical in form and function with its sister craft, Voyager 1, it was launched on a slower, more curved trajectory that allowed it to be kept in the plane of the Ecliptic. This enabled it to be sent on to Uranus and Neptune by means of utilising gravity assists during its fly-by of Saturn in 1981 and of Uranus in 1986.

By 2010, Voyager 2 was around 92 AU (13.75 billion km, 8.5 billion miles, or 0.001443 ly) from the Sun, deep in the scattered disc, and traveling outward at roughly 3.26 AU per year.

The probe survives for thousands of years in the emptiness of interstellar space. It eventually passes by Sirius, having covered a distance of over 25 trillion miles.* Sirius is the brightest star in the sky when viewed from Earth.

voyager probe sirius nearest star reach future interstellar
Credit: NASA

1,000,000 AD

Planet-sized computers are dominating the Local Group; AI controls all governmental and other systems; the descendants of humanity are a Type 3 civilisation on the Kardashev scale

Purely biological (non-cyborg) humans are exceedingly rare now. The very few which do remain comprise only a tiny fraction of the total sentient minds in existence. Though free to come and go as they please, they have practically zero influence in any governmental systems on Earth or elsewhere, being regarded as wholly subordinate to the AIs and other entities. As a species, homo sapiens has continued to evolve over time. This has led to a 100% increase in cranial size, a near-total absence of hair, a further elongation of limbs, and an average lifespan of several hundred years.

The vast majority of humans have long since abandoned these primitive biological forms, making the transition to machines or other substrates, achieving practical immortality. The entire Milky Way galaxy has been explored by these transhumans and their sentient ships. Faster-than-light travel is now possible using Alcubierre drives, which cause the fabric of space ahead of a spacecraft to contract, while the space behind it expands. This bypasses the laws of relativity, allowing travel to even neighbouring galaxies such as the Andromeda and Triangulum.

Planet-sized computers are being constructed throughout the Local Group of galaxies, with every available resource going towards their production. All of the "dead" worlds, comets, moons and asteroids considered uninhabitable are being converted into these machines, forming a vast network millions of light years across space. Each computer is capable of instant communications with any other, regardless of distance.

Despite all this, no advanced alien intelligences have been contacted yet. However, ancient ruins have been uncovered on a number of worlds - indicating advanced civilisations at some point in the distant past; and there are hundreds of planets with rich ecosystems brimming with diverse plant and animal life. Most of the fauna being discovered is small and insect-like, but some is more developed, with intelligence comparable to higher mammals such as dolphins, monkeys and cats.

Most of the biological (non-cyborg) humans are avoiding the core regions in each galaxy, which are filled with extremely high concentrations of gamma radiation, blackholes and other hazards - dangerous even with the technologies and protections of today.

galactic core
© Luca Oleastri | Dreamstime.com

1,400,000 AD

The Oort cloud is being disrupted by the approach of Gliese 710

The orange dwarf star, Gliese 710, is passing within 1.1 light years (70,000 AU) of the Sun. This is close enough to disrupt the Oort Cloud surrounding our solar system. A shower of comets is now heading in-system.

At its closest approach, Gliese 710 will be a first-magnitude star when viewed from Earth: one of the brightest in the night sky.

oort cloud gliese 710 future comet impacts

2,000,000 AD

Pioneer 10 is approaching the Aldebaran system

Pioneer 10 was the first space probe to travel through the asteroid belt and to directly observe Jupiter, which it passed by in 1973. After completing its mission, it began heading in the direction of Aldebaran - a red giant star located 65 light years away in the constellation Taurus.

The final contact with the probe was made in 2003, when a very weak signal was detected from the craft, 12 billion kilometers (7.5 billion miles) from Earth. An attempt at contact in 2006 was unsuccessful.

After travelling at roughly 2.6 AU per year, Pioneer 10 begins to approach the Aldebaran system in 2,000,000 AD.*

Attached to the probe is a pictorial message, in case of interception by extraterrestrial life. This plaque shows the nude figures of a human male and female, along with symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft.

pioneer 10 space probe spacecraft aldebaran red giant star mission future timeline trajectory solar system
Credit: NASA

4,000,000 AD

Pioneer 11 is approaching the Lambda Aquilae system

Pioneer 11 is the sister craft of Pioneer 10. Launched in 1973, it completed a successful flyby of Saturn in 1979, before heading out to interstellar space, travelling in the opposite direction of Pioneer 10.

After four million years, it passes by Lambda Aquilae, a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf star, approximately 125 light years from Earth.* Like its sister, Pioneer 11 carries a plaque with a message from humankind.

7,600,000 AD

Phobos is ripped apart by Mars' gravity

Phobos is the largest and closest of the two moons of Mars. Because its orbital period is shorter than a Martian day, tidal deceleration has been decreasing its orbital radius at the rate of about 20 metres (66 ft) per century.

By this date, it has passed the Roche limit - the distance within which a celestial body, held together only by its own gravity, will disintegrate due to a second body's tidal forces exceeding the first's gravitational self-attraction.

Phobos begins to break apart. It gradually becomes a ring system over the following 3 million years, with many of these fragments impacting upon Mars itself.*

Neptune's largest moon - Triton - will share a similar fate.

mars phobos future destruction roche limit gravity
Credit: NASA / JPL

10,000,000 AD

T Pyxidis is threatening Earth with lethal levels of gamma radiation

T Pyxidis is a binary star system in the constellation Pyxis. It contains a sun-like star and a white dwarf. Because of the strong gravitational effect of the white dwarf, it draws matter from the other star which causes periodic thermonuclear explosions (so-called novae) to occur.

Around this time, it reaches the so-called Chandrasekhar Limit, causing it to undergo an instantaneous collapse that completely destroys the star in a Type 1a supernova. This catastrophic event releases 10 million times more energy than a typical nova explosion, or the equivalent of 20 billion, billion, billion megatons of TNT.*

The system is only 3,260 light years away - close enough to affect our solar system. Unless Earth is protected by advanced technology by now, waves of gamma radiation could destroy the ozone layer, leading to mass extinctions.

t-pyxidis

Triton’s decaying orbit has led to it breaking up around Neptune, forming a new ring system

That's assuming the moon still exists in a form we would recognise. The descendants of humanity may have converted its raw mass into artificial structures by now. Even Neptune itself may no longer exist – the planet’s hydrogen and helium may have been siphoned off for use in starships and industrial processes.

triton neptune decaying orbit collision future 10 million AD
© Diego Barucco | Dreamstime.com

50,000,000 AD

Africa collides with Europe, forming a new mountain range to rival the Himalayas

As a result of this, the Mediterranean no longer exists. The Red Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea have also disappeared. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Ocean has continued to widen, and North Amercia is being distorted with California sliding northward towards Alaska. Southeast Asia is beginning to merge with Australia.

pangaea future earth map tectonics geology geography 50 million AD
Plate tectonic maps and Continental drift animations by C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP Project (www.scotese.com)

150,000,000 AD

The Atlantic Ocean begins to close

New subduction zones along the eastern coasts of North America and South America have begun to consume the ocean floor separating North America from Africa. The continents are moving closer together. Meanwhile, Australia has merged with Indonesia and Antarctica.

future timeline of the universe
Plate tectonic maps and Continental drift animations by C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP Project (www.scotese.com)

225,000,000 AD

Sol completes one galactic year

By now, our Sun has completed another clockwise revolution around the galaxy - the 21st in its lifetime so far.

The Sun's orbit is roughly elliptical, with perturbations due to the galactic spiral arms and non-uniform mass distributions. In addition, the Sun oscillates up and down relative to the galactic plane, around 2.7 times per orbit.

The Sun's passage through the higher density spiral arms has coincided with mass extinctions on Earth, due to increased impact events.

The orbital speed of the Solar System around the center of the Galaxy is approximately 251 km/s.

galactic year galaxy revolution future sol orbit

250,000,000 AD

A supercontinent is forming on Earth

The next Pangea, "Pangea Ultima" is forming as a result of subduction of the ocean floor of the Atlantic, beneath eastern North America and South America. This supercontinent has a small ocean basin trapped at its center.

The Sun is becoming noticeably hotter and brighter, raising global temperatures by several degrees. Much of the planet is now covered by deserts.

Of course, this scenario assumes that the Earth hasn’t been altered in some way by the descendants of humanity - possibly including being moved to a new orbit, or converted to an artificial structure. Even the Sun itself may no longer exist in a form we would recognise.

future timeline of the universe
Plate tectonic maps and Continental drift animations by C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP Project (www.scotese.com)

600,000,000 AD

Total solar eclipses are no longer possible on Earth

Due to tidal acceleration, the distance of the Moon from the Earth has been increasing by approximately 3.8cm each year. By 600 million AD, the distance has increased by nearly 23,000 km. At the same time, the Sun has been growing in size by a significant amount.

As a result, the Moon is no longer big enough in the sky to completely cover the Sun's disk, making total eclipses impossible. This is true even when the Moon is at perigee and the Earth is at aphelion.

The reduced gravitational influence of the Moon is affecting Earth's oceans - with smaller waves and less variation in tide heights.

750,000,000 AD

The Sagittarius dwarf galaxy has been absorbed into the larger Milky Way

The Sagittarius dwarf elliptical galaxy (Sag DEG) is a tiny satellite galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. For aeons, it has been stretched and torn apart by the immense tidal forces of its neighbour. By now, it has been completely absorbed into the Milky Way.*

When first discovered, astronomers thought that Sag DEG had already reached an advanced stage of destruction. However, later observations showed that it still had coherence, as a dispersed elongated ellipse. It appeared to be moving in a roughly polar orbit around the Milky Way, reaching as close as 50,000 light years from the galactic core. Computer simulations indicated that stars ripped out from the dwarf would be spread out in a long "stellar stream" along its path. These were subsequently detected.

Sag DEG may have orbited the Milky Way as many as ten times, prior to being swallowed up. Its ability to retain some coherence, despite such strains, would indicate an unusually high level of dark matter in that galaxy.

sagittarius dwarf galaxy milky way future merger
Credit: Azcolvin429

1,000,000,000 AD

Earth is becoming too hot to support liquid water

The seas and oceans are evaporating. Even the coldest regions are seeing temperatures reach over 60°C. The Sun will soon be entering its red giant phase.

3,000,000,000 AD

The Andromeda Galaxy has begun to collide and merge with our own
Milky Way galaxy**

Stars and planets within each galaxy are unlikely to actually collide, as galaxies are in fact somewhat diffuse.

Such mergers are relatively common; Andromeda, for example, is believed to have collided with at least one other galaxy in the past.

andromeda milky way galaxy merger collision hybrid 3 billion future

5,000,000,000 AD

Sol is a red giant

The inner planets of the solar system have been destroyed and absorbed by the ballooning Sun. Its radius has now expanded by over 200 times.

12,000,000,000 AD

Sol is shrinking to become a black dwarf

Most of the Sun's mass has been ejected, forming a planetary nebula. Having ended its main sequence life, it now begins to cool and dim - changing from a dense white dwarf into a cold, inactive black dwarf.

100,000,000,000 AD

The Virgo Supercluster is converging into a single galaxy

The Virgo Supercluster - containing hundreds of smaller clusters including our own - is now so ancient that it has begun to stabilise and converge into a single huge galaxy, many millions of light years across.

Other superclusters are also converging, but are now separated from each other by billions of light years due to the acceleration of dark energy.

Credit: Bell State University

1,000,000,000,000 AD

Star formation is declining in many galaxies*

By now, a significant percentage of galaxies throughout the universe are beginning to "burn out", having been depleted of the gas clouds needed to form stars.

2,000,000,000,000 AD

Galaxies beyond the Local Supercluster are no longer visible*

Dark energy has continued to drive the expansion of the universe at an ever-accelerating rate. By now, the volume of the universe is so great - and the speed of acceleration so high - that everything beyond the Local Supercluster is no longer visible.

Even for the highest energy gamma rays, a redshift of 10⁵³ means their wavelength is stretched to greater than the physical diameter of the horizon.

Because of this, any remaining intelligent life today may no longer be able to obtain new empirical data on the state of large-scale structures on scales observed in the past.

20,000,000,000,000 AD

Red dwarf stars are dying*

By now, even some of the longest-lived stars in our galaxy - such as red dwarfs - have begun to fade away, leaving behind only cold "black dwarfs" emitting trace amounts of radiation. This includes once famous stars such as Proxima Centauri, Barnard's Star and Wolf 359. The Milky Way galaxy is becoming a dark, empty place dominated by enormous blackholes.

100,000,000,000,000 AD

The end of the stellar era*

The last of the main sequence stars in our universe has withered away to nothing. The only stellar-mass objects now remaining are white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. Brown dwarfs also remain.

Planets everywhere have been dislodged from their previous orbits and left drifting as "rogues", with many ending up in black holes.

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 AD

The degenerate era of the universe*

In this era, practically the only energy being generated in the universe is through proton decay and particle annihilation. The only remaining objects are neutron stars, white dwarfs and black holes. Due to extreme age, all of the planets and moons have disintegrated and decayed into their constituent atomic particles - or else been absorbed into stellar remnants.

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 AD

The black hole era of the universe*

Only black holes and subatomic particles remain. The universe has expanded so much that these individual particles may be separated from each other by truly enormous distances. Black holes themselves are now evaporating by Hawking radiation.

Beyond 10¹⁰⁰

The dark era of the universe*

The last remaining black hole has evaporated.

From this point onwards the universe is composed only of photons, neutrinos, electrons and positrons - with no way of interacting with each other.

The universe continues to expand forever... but is essentially dead.

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