Planck to Cosmic Time: Journey Through the Universe’s Timescales
Explore the mind-bending extremes of time—from quantum Planck time to the age of the cosmos. How do the smallest and largest timescales in physics compare?
Time spans an unfathomable range in our universe. At the smallest extreme, we have the Planck time—approximately 10-43 seconds—the quantum tick of spacetime itself, below which our physics equations break down. At the largest extreme lies the age of the universe—13.8 billion years—marking the span since the Big Bang. Our Planck to Cosmic Time tool helps you visualize and comprehend this staggering 60 orders of magnitude difference through intuitive comparisons and logarithmic visualizations.
Named after physicist Max Planck, Planck time represents the smallest meaningful unit of time in physics—the time it takes light to travel one Planck length in a vacuum. It’s derived from fundamental constants: the gravitational constant (G), the speed of light (c), and Planck’s constant (ℏ). This quantum scale is where quantum gravity effects dominate, and where space and time themselves become grainy and discontinuous, rather than smooth like we experience them.
Between these extremes lie all the timescales that matter to us: nuclear reactions in stars (nanoseconds), human heartbeats (seconds), orbital periods of planets (years), and the lifetimes of galaxies (billions of years). By placing any event on this cosmic timeline, we can appreciate our place in the hierarchy of temporal scales—from the quantum foam at the birth of the universe to the slow expansion of space itself, as measured by Hubble Space Telescope observations.
Explore Time’s Extremes
Enter any duration to see where it falls on the cosmic timescale—from quantum to cosmological
Planck Time to Cosmic Time
Journey through 62 orders of magnitude - from quantum foam to heat death
Filter by Scale Category
Logarithmic Timeline
Each division represents 10x time increase
10-44 seconds
10-36 seconds
10-32 seconds
10-24 seconds
10-23 seconds
10-18 seconds
10-15 seconds
10-14 seconds
10-13 seconds
10-11 seconds
10-10 seconds
10-9 seconds
10-8 seconds
10-6 seconds
10-3 seconds
10-2.3 seconds
10-1.7 seconds
10-1 seconds
10-0.6 seconds
100 seconds
100.6 seconds
101.5 seconds
101.8 seconds
103.1 seconds
103.6 seconds
103.7 seconds
104.9 seconds
104.9 seconds
106.4 seconds
107.4 seconds
107.5 seconds
106.6 seconds
108.9 seconds
109.4 seconds
109.5 seconds
1010.5 seconds
1011.2 seconds
1011.6 seconds
1011.9 seconds
1012.5 seconds
1013.5 seconds
1014.5 seconds
1014.8 seconds
1016.2 seconds
1016.2 seconds
1017.1 seconds
1017.2 seconds
1017.2 seconds
1018.5 seconds
1017.6 seconds
1017.7 seconds
1018.9 seconds
1020.5 seconds
1027.5 seconds
1045.5 seconds
1066 seconds
10100 seconds
10150 seconds
10⁻⁴⁴ s
10⁻²⁰ s
1 s
10¹⁵ s
10²⁰ s
10¹⁰⁰ s
All Time Scales
Understanding Vast Time Scales
The Magnitude Challenge
If Planck time was 1 second, the age of the universe would be 10⁶¹ seconds - that's 10 followed by 61 zeros! Our brains literally can't grasp numbers this large.
Why Logarithmic?
Linear scales fail for extreme ranges. On a log scale, each step up is 10x longer. This lets us see both a nanosecond and a billion years on the same chart.
Human Perception
We perceive 0.1 to 10 seconds directly. Everything faster feels instant. Everything slower feels eternal. We exist in a tiny window of cosmic time.
Speed of Light Ruler
At 10⁻⁹ s, light travels 30cm. At 1s, light travels 300,000 km. At 10⁹ s (32 years), light travels 10 light-years. Time and distance intertwine.
Time Scale Concepts
Planck Time Explained
The Planck time (5.39 × 10⁻⁴⁴ seconds) isn't just small - it's fundamentally the smallest meaningful time. Below this, quantum gravity effects dominate and time itself becomes undefined. It's not that we can't measure smaller times; smaller times don't exist in any meaningful sense.
Time Dilation Is Real
Muons created in the upper atmosphere shouldn't reach Earth's surface - they decay in 2.2 microseconds. But traveling at 0.995c, time dilation extends their life 10x. This isn't theoretical; it's measured every day in cosmic rays.
Radioactive Clocks
How do we know Earth is 4.5 billion years old? Radioactive decay provides clocks. Uranium-238 decays to lead-206 with a half-life of 4.5 billion years. By measuring ratios in rocks, we determine age precisely.
Cosmic Calendar
If the universe's 13.8 billion years was compressed to 1 year: Big Bang = Jan 1. Milky Way = May. Earth = September. Life = September. Dinosaurs = Christmas. Humans = Dec 31, 11:59:58 PM. All history = last 0.2 seconds.
Far Future
In 10¹⁴ years, all stars will die. In 10⁴⁰ years, even black holes evaporate. In 10¹⁰⁰ years (googol), the universe reaches heat death - maximum entropy, no energy gradients, no change possible. True eternity.
Quantum Fluctuations
At Planck scales, space and time foam with quantum fluctuations. Virtual particles pop in and out of existence. This isn't speculation - the Casimir effect proves vacuum energy is real. Reality is fundamentally probabilistic at smallest scales.
Powers of Ten Journey
Click to jump to each magnitude
How to Use the Planck to Cosmic Time Calculator
1. Select Your Timescale
Choose from preset scales (Planck time, atomic vibration, human heartbeat, Earth’s age, universe’s age) or enter a custom duration. Use scientific notation for extreme values (e.g., 1e-43 seconds for Planck time).
2. View Logarithmic Scale
See your chosen time plotted on a logarithmic timeline spanning from 10-43 seconds to 1018 seconds (age of universe). Each step represents a factor of 10—the only way to visualize such vast ranges.
3. Explore Comparisons
Discover what physical processes occur at your chosen timescale—nuclear reactions, chemical bonds forming, planetary orbits, stellar lifetimes. Understand the physics that governs each temporal domain.
Why Explore Cosmic Timescales?
🔬 Understand Fundamental Physics
Grasp the quantum realm where spacetime becomes grainy, and appreciate how our Time Dilation Calculator demonstrates relativistic effects at human scales. See where quantum mechanics gives way to classical physics.
🌌 Cosmic Perspective
Place human history in context of cosmic time—our entire civilization is a mere blink compared to stellar lifetimes. Explore this further with our Deep Time Visualizer for geological and cosmic scales.
⚛️ Educational Value
Perfect for students learning about scales in physics, from particle physics to cosmology. Compare with our Cosmic Calendar to see how universal history compresses into relatable timeframes.
🚀 Scientific Context
Understand why certain physical processes take the time they do—from nuclear fusion in stars to radioactive decay. Connect with our Interstellar Travel Calculator to see journey times across cosmic distances.
The Physics of Extreme Timescales
Planck Time
tP = √(ℏG/c5) ≈ 5.39 × 10-44 seconds. The smallest measurable time unit, derived from fundamental constants. Below this scale, quantum fluctuations of spacetime dominate and our current physics theories break down.
Logarithmic Scale
Time spans 60+ orders of magnitude from Planck time to universal age. Linear scales fail—we use logarithmic (base 10) scales where each step represents 10× increase, making the incomprehensible comprehensible.
Cosmic Age
Universe age: 13.8 billion years ≈ 4.35 × 1017 seconds. Measured via cosmic microwave background radiation, stellar ages, and expansion rate. This represents approximately 8 × 1060 Planck times—an incomprehensible number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Planck time and why does it matter?
Planck time (5.39 × 10-44 seconds) is the time it takes light to travel one Planck length—the smallest distance at which our current understanding of spacetime remains valid. Below this scale, quantum effects make space and time discontinuous, and we need a theory of quantum gravity (not yet developed) to describe physics. It matters because it represents the fundamental “resolution” of time in our universe.
How do we measure such extreme timescales?
We don’t directly measure Planck time—it’s derived mathematically from fundamental constants (ℏ, G, c). For cosmic timescales, we use multiple methods: radioactive decay dating for ancient rocks, stellar evolution models for star ages, cosmic microwave background measurements for universe age, and expansion rate measurements to extrapolate backward to the Big Bang.
Why use logarithmic scales for time?
Linear scales fail when dealing with ranges spanning 60+ orders of magnitude. On a linear timeline from Planck time to universe age, every human timescale (seconds, years, lifetimes) would be indistinguishable from zero. Logarithmic scales allocate equal visual space to each factor of 10, allowing us to see patterns across the entire range—quantum, atomic, human, geological, and cosmic scales all become visible.
What happens at different timescales?
Different physics dominates at each scale: 10-43 s (quantum gravity), 10-23 s (quark-gluon interactions), 10-14 s (electron orbital transitions), 10-9 s (molecular vibrations), 1 s (human perception), 107 s (seasons/orbits), 1015 s (stellar lifetimes), 1017 s (universe age). Each domain has characteristic processes and governing laws.
Related Space & Time Tools
Explore more ways to understand cosmic scales and relativity:
- Time Dilation Calculator – See how relativity affects time at high speeds
- Cosmic Calendar Converter – Map cosmic history to a calendar year
- Deep Time Visualizer – Understand geological and cosmic timescales
- Interstellar Travel Calculator – Calculate journey times to nearby stars
- Light Speed Journey Simulator – Experience the cosmos at light speed
- Black Hole Survival Timer – Extreme gravity and time dilation
Scientific References & Further Reading
- Planck Units – Wikipedia comprehensive overview
- What is Quantum Gravity? – Scientific American explainer
- Hubble Space Telescope – NASA’s cosmic time measurements
- Discovering the Expanding Universe – NASA Hubble expansion rate
- Age of the Universe – Nature journal precision measurements
- Planck 2018 Results: Cosmological Parameters – arXiv preprint
- Quantum Mechanics – Britannica quantum foundations
- Quantum Gravity – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy