| The Signposts Perspectives
6,001 AD and beyond
The ultimate fate of the universe
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[Caution: Extreme speculation ahead; this section mostly created for "What If?" entertainment value. For instance, the chances of human civilization actually surviving more or less intact to 6,001 AD may be exceedingly remote (refer to The Rise and Fall of Star Faring Civilizations in Our Own Galaxy for an outline of the challenges which we'll face). If humanity survives without major setback merely to 2,500 AD or so (and advances as expected technology-wise too), the Earth itself may not survive the species' collective impulses. Much longer than that, and even the Sun and remainder of the solar system too may fall prey to our whims (as described elsewhere on site). However, for this section of Perspectives we will often (but not always) assume that the Sun and Earth survive regardless of humanity's fate. Among other things, this means most if not all of the fictional storylines from earlier perspectives pages will be largely ignored here. Freeing up this section from requirements for consistency with those fictions makes it easier and faster to present to readers the views and ideas of many scientists, scholars, and research projects concerning what may or may not transpire in the furthest reaches of the Universe and its future. Enjoy!]
Signposts Perspectives 6,001 AD and Beyond Table of Contents
- Approximately 9,000 AD: The ice sheets of Antarctica may be collapsing, causing a rise in global sea level of perhaps
six meters
- 2,000 AD- 12,000 AD: Sometime during this period the immense star Eta Carinae 7500 light years from Earth possibly erupts in a hypernova explosion
- Approximately 10,200 AD: Human-derived civilization has possibly colonized a 400 lightyear diameter spherical region of the galaxy by now...
- Approximately 26,974 AD: A purposeful message beamed into space by humanity in 1974 AD has traveled 25,000 lightyears into the void...
- 2,100 AD- 100,000 AD: Sometime during this period Mars is rendered habitable via terraforming by humanity
- 2,000 AD- 50,000 AD: Life on Earth may be in danger from cosmic clouds of gas and dust
- 2,000 AD- 100,000 AD: Sometime during this period Earth suffers a major asteroid impact
- 2,000 AD- 500,000 AD: Sometime during this period the red super giant star Betelgeuse 430 light years from Earth possibly erupts in a supernova explosion
- Approximately 200,000 AD- 8,000,000 AD: If a human-derived civilization makes it this far, now may be the time range in which it finally ends...
- Approximately 1,000,000 AD- 50,000,000 AD: If the descendents of humanity still exist and thrive, they are becoming a Karadashev Type III civilization sometime during this period, heavily dominating and more or less in control of the entire Milky Way galaxy...
- Approximately 2,000,000+ AD: Pioneer 10, launched from Earth in 1972 AD, may be passing by or through the solar system of the star Aldebaran now
- Approximately 4,000,000 AD: Human-derived civilization has possibly colonized the entire Milky Way galaxy by now...
- Approximately 40,000,000 AD: Australia joins with Asia
- Approximately 100,000,000 AD: If humanity suffered a catastrophic decline or extinction sometime between 2,000 and 3,000 AD, there would still remain some subtle fossilized signs of their existence on Earth even now
- Approximately 150,000,000 AD: Humanity's ultimate descendents or replacements on Earth may now be meeting their own end
- 2,000 AD- 200,000,000 AD: The pair of stars making up the binary star system KPD1930+2752 collide, producing one of the largest supernova explosions the Universe has ever seen
- Approximately 500,000,000 AD: The Sun is getting steadily brighter and warmer-- which means things are getting warmer on Earth as well
- Approximately 750,000,000 AD: By now the Milky Way galaxy is colliding with and begun to absorb the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy
- Approximately 1,000,000,000 AD: Little more than lakes, ponds, and puddles are left of Earth's once mighty oceans today. A brighter, hotter Sun has evaporated them away into space
- Approximately 1,500,000,000 AD: Our galaxy is beginning to be distorted by the gravity effects of the larger Andromeda galaxy which is on a collision course with our own
- Approximately 1,000,000,000 AD- 3,000,000,000 AD: Our galaxy is undergoing a full-scale collision and merger with the considerably larger Andromeda galaxy, at approximately 300,000 mph
- Approximately 3,500,000,000 AD to 5,000,000,000 AD: The Earth is becoming so hot from the warmer, swelling red giant which used to be a much friendlier Sun, that it is becoming impossible for high biological life to survive on the planet without advanced technological aids
- Approximately 7,000,000,000 AD: The Sun is collapsing into a white dwarf star
- Approximately 10,000,000,000 AD: By now the hybrid Andromeda/Milky Way galaxy has collided with and begun absorbing the lesser galaxies of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds
- Approximately 22,000,000,000 AD: One theoretical end scenario for the Universe has it ending now in a 'Big Rip'
- 10,000,000,000 AD- 60,000,000,000 AD: The Sun is a steadily cooling white dwarf star. It cools sufficiently that life may actually develop upon the Sun
- Approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000 AD (One followed by 15 zeroes): The "Degenerate Era" of the Universe begins
- Approximately 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 AD (One followed by 40 zeroes): The "Black Hole Era" of the Universe begins
- Approximately (One followed by 101 zeroes) AD: The "Dark Era" of the Universe begins
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