Timeline of the Solar System (and Earth)
The Solar System's Past
13.82 billion years ago: the Universe is born
5 billion years ago: a nearby star dies and explodes in an event called a supernova. Shock waves bringing heavy elements (eg. carbon, oxygen, iron, zinc, magnesium, etc.) that hit a solar nebula (cloud of gas and dust), causing it to collapse. These elements are the ones that build life.
4.7 billion years ago: gas and dust coalesce and form the protosun, which is the Sun that hasn't achieved nuclear fusion yet. The cloud flattens into a disk.
5 billion years ago: a nearby star dies and explodes in an event called a supernova. Shock waves bringing heavy elements (eg. carbon, oxygen, iron, zinc, magnesium, etc.) that hit a solar nebula (cloud of gas and dust), causing it to collapse. These elements are the ones that build life.
4.7 billion years ago: gas and dust coalesce and form the protosun, which is the Sun that hasn't achieved nuclear fusion yet. The cloud flattens into a disk.
4.57 billion years ago: outside the protosun, gas and dust coalesce as well and form planetesimals (developing planets). Nuclear fusion sparks up in the Sun's core. It is at this time that the Sun is truly born.
4.57 - 4.4 billion years ago: the planetesimals reach their full size. Solar winds push lighter gases away from the terrestrial planets.
4.53 billion years ago: Theia collides with Earth and debris from the impact forms the Moon. The entire process takes less than a century.
4.57 - 4.4 billion years ago: the planetesimals reach their full size. Solar winds push lighter gases away from the terrestrial planets.
4.53 billion years ago: Theia collides with Earth and debris from the impact forms the Moon. The entire process takes less than a century.
4.1 - 3.8 billion years ago: Jupiter and Saturn's shifting orbits change the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Triton is captured by Neptune, the Kuiper Belt is shaped, and asteroids (and comets) are sent crashing into the terrestrial planets. This is the Late Heavy Bombardment. Carbonaceous chondrites (carbon asteroids containing water) bring water to Earth, and the Moon's maria form.
3.8 billion years ago: life on Earth begins. Oxygen is released from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) 3.5 billion years ago. Complex, multi-cellular life evolves 600 million years ago. Modern humans only started walking on Earth 200 000 years ago.
3.8 billion years ago: life on Earth begins. Oxygen is released from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) 3.5 billion years ago. Complex, multi-cellular life evolves 600 million years ago. Modern humans only started walking on Earth 200 000 years ago.
The Solar System's Future [WARNING: It's Depressing]
Year 2500: the sixth mass extinction reaches its peak, caused by human activity.
250 million years later: The continents come together to form the supercontinent Pangaea Ultima.
250 million years later: The continents come together to form the supercontinent Pangaea Ultima.
1.1 billion years later: the Sun emits 10% more radiation that it does today. This luminosity means more heat blasted at Earth, which get absorbed by its atmosphere and cause a runaway greenhouse effect.
3.5 billion years later: the Sun will be 40% more luminous than it is today. All forms of water on Earth boil off permanently. Life on Earth will be gone for sure.
5.4 billion years later: the Sun will run out of hydrogen in its core. The now unstable helium core will collapse and get hotter, The Sun's outer layers are pushed so far from the boiling core that it cools to an angry red. The Sun expands to a diameter of 350 million km by the end of this red giant phase. Mercury, Venus and maybe Earth will be engulfed, If Earth survives, it would be roasted. In the process, the Sun's expansion will destabilise the Moon's orbit, sending it tumbling towards Earth. The Moon will break apart and form a ring that eventually spirals into our planet. The Sun's core will get hot and dense enough to burn helium into carbon (and maybe oxygen). Our Sun shrinks to a 14 million km diameter before ballooning out again, much fster this time.
3.5 billion years later: the Sun will be 40% more luminous than it is today. All forms of water on Earth boil off permanently. Life on Earth will be gone for sure.
5.4 billion years later: the Sun will run out of hydrogen in its core. The now unstable helium core will collapse and get hotter, The Sun's outer layers are pushed so far from the boiling core that it cools to an angry red. The Sun expands to a diameter of 350 million km by the end of this red giant phase. Mercury, Venus and maybe Earth will be engulfed, If Earth survives, it would be roasted. In the process, the Sun's expansion will destabilise the Moon's orbit, sending it tumbling towards Earth. The Moon will break apart and form a ring that eventually spirals into our planet. The Sun's core will get hot and dense enough to burn helium into carbon (and maybe oxygen). Our Sun shrinks to a 14 million km diameter before ballooning out again, much fster this time.
5.5 billion years later: the Sun sheds its outer layers and becomes a planetary nebula (which has nothing to do with planets). This nebula will disperse after 10 000 years, leaving behind its shrunken core, 99 700 C in temperature. This is a white dwarf, and is about the size of Earth. Over trillions of years, the white dwarf will slowly cool and fade into a black dwarf. As for the remaining planets? They're too far away to be affected by the white dwarf's gravity, and will drift away and possibly crash into each other. Uranus and Neptune will be at great risk of crashing into the hypothetical planet (if it's there).