Where Does the First Second of the Universe Fall on the Time Line?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the representation of the timeline of the universe, specifically the duration of the Planck Epoch and its relation to the first second after the Big Bang. The Planck Epoch ends at 10-43 seconds, which is represented as 1 cm on a scale. Consequently, the first second of the universe would extend to 1043 cm, making it 1015 times longer than the observable universe's Hubble radius of approximately 1028 cm. This stark comparison highlights the brevity of the Planck Epoch.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of cosmological time scales
  • Familiarity with the concept of the Planck Epoch
  • Basic knowledge of the Big Bang theory
  • Awareness of the Hubble radius and observable universe
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of the Planck Epoch on quantum gravity theories
  • Explore the concept of cosmic inflation and its timeline
  • Learn about the Hubble constant and its significance in cosmology
  • Investigate the methods used to measure the observable universe's boundaries
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, physicists, students of cosmology, and anyone interested in the early universe and its fundamental time scales.

flotsam
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I draw a straight line representing the time line of the universe. On this line I put a mark at 1cm and I say this represents the end of the Planck Epoch. So I can understand how tiny the Plank Epoch was, could someone tell me, how far along the line at this scale the first second of the universe would appear.
I imagine it would fall quite a distance along the line.
 
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The Planck epoch ends at 10-43 sec. after the big bang.
So if that time interval is represented by 1 cm. the line out to I second will be 1043 cms. long. Now OOM the Hubble radius, crudely the radius of the observable universe, is 1028 cms.

So your line will be 1015 times longer than the furthest distance we could possible see in the observable universe!

Does that give you an idea how short the Planck era is? :smile:

Garth
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that. I never realized it would be that much! The Planck Epoch truly is tiny and amazing to contemplate.
 

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