Why the Cosmic Calendar Doesn't Make Sense - Ask a Spaceman!

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What is the “cosmic calendar”? What are some important scales in the universe? Why is it so hard to judge “importance” of events? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!
Follow all the show updates at www.askaspaceman.com, and help support the show at / pmsutter !
Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SPACE! Music by Jason Grady and Nick Bain.

[@thefoolishhiker3103]

I think the cosmic calendar has its place in that it provides a handy analogy that is easy for the human mind to get some grasp on how different the cosmic time scale is to things we are familiar with in our day to day lives. Perhaps a very narrow use but still useful I think.

[@larrybeckham6652]

I disagree. I was introduced to Sagan's Cosmic Calender in one of his earlier books, long before the TV series. The events in your Proton Calender vary so wildly, yes, to put in a single "year" does not makes sence without maximal frame-jacking. The Sagan Calender fits the landmark events so better and ground one sense of scale to our human history to the history of the universe nicely. And my main takeaway, it allows for an alien species that evolves a billion or two before us somewhere. That is a fascinating possibility.

[@ChrisBrengel]

I always found that the Cosmic Calendar is unmatched for giving you the idea of how long it took before something happened, how long something was/has been around, the relative sizes (in time) of the major periods in the history of the Cosmos. The stunning briefness of homo sapiens and history is just there, I don't consider it the point of the CC at all. Great Vid!

[@VernAfterReading]

Calendars are terrible! So, come back next week. :)

[@Master_Therion]

lol. I see what you did there ^_^

[@LaunchPadAstronomy]

Bring it on, man!

[@hazevthewolf178]

Dr. Sutter, I'll patiently wait for part two. You seem to be implying that there is no simple linear map, like line segment to line segment in the real numbers, that can capture the history of the universe. I've been reading "Your Place In The Universe," a chapter or two at a time when I take long lunches from my job on Fridays. My initial takeaway from your book tells me that change in the first moments of the universe was far more dramatic than what we see today. On a year long scale, there was a lot going in the universe on during the first picoseconds (or less!) of its existence, and thus a simple cosmic calendar may focus on the end game, like us humans at one second before midnight.

[@universemaps]

Hey! Thanks for using this Observable Universe illustration I'm glad it's useful!!

[@kadmilossomnium]

Not to mention time dilation being variable as the universe ages and density drops. January 1st might have been 2000x longer than January 2nd

[@nicolaiveliki1409]

Way to get us to hang around for another episode!

[@constpegasus]

I love Paul's video. It also reminds me of something, Quantum chromo dynamics. Has anyone calculated how fast the quarks change colors? Is there a speed that can be reached that let's them violate the pauli exclusion principle? They can change so fast that the two identical ones lose the meaning of being identical in a certain time frame? Just askin'.

[@hirvielain9013]

Not related to physics at all, but what really grinds my gears is the Doomsday Clock. That just doesn't make any sense! Anyway, great video as always, Paul!

[@godfreyofbouillon966]

So true.

[@infinitemonkey917]

It's just a way that a group of concerned scientists convey their concern of potential nuclear annihilation. It's not suppose to be a literal clock because it is a metaphor. It's kind of like defcon used by the U.S. military.

[@godfreyofbouillon966]

@@infinitemonkey917 it does not even make sense as a metaphor.

[@lfino100]

This is just superb, I been tryin to find out about "ultra high energy cosmic rays" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Bannrial Bizarre Bulldozer - (search on google ) ? It is a smashing one off product for discovering your spiritual animal and the clues it has to your future success minus the headache. Ive heard some great things about it and my neighbour got excellent success with it.

[@panedole]

This was great, thanks, been searching for "cosmic energy calendar history" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Bannrial Bizarre Bulldozer - (search on google ) ? It is a great one off product for discovering your spiritual animal and the clues it has to your future success without the headache. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my friend got great results with it.

[@ryanali4024]

You guys know "cosmic. Calendar" means only about cosmic measurements and not quantum .

[@296jacqi]

I can’t find part 2!! 😞

[@BobBob-vc4bt]

So how important is Graham's number?

[@recity79]

This argument comes across like complaining about the scale difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Regardless of the number given to the temperature, the object being measured is still the same temperature. And that’s the problem with your proton analogy. The cosmic calendar isn’t just measuring one specific thing. It’s ALL of existence, therefore the time scale is comparative in a relatable way. Basically, in the grand scale of everything event x happened on this date while event y occurred relatively by the calendar. Using the same method for the particles reacting is meaningless since it does not compare that time frame to anything else. And even those reactions exist on the cosmic calendar as well. You almost had it mind you with the proton decaying in the hand part. You just would have had to compare the time it takes to the lifetime of a human. For example if you held it in your hand, and lived another 50 years, it would have only decade by x%

[@ernestolombardo5811]

"The Universe doesn't have one single important number" Excuse me. Have you ever heard of the number forty two? You're welcome! Joking aside, maybe I didn't understand the meaning behind the phrase, but what about the speed of light, or the Planck time/length!

[@North_Star_Blossom]

😂

[@KMVclassic]

Hmm, idk, sorry, it seems like you may have missed the point of the cosmic calendar. It is a view from our perspective - how are entire history is nothing but a small point on the cosmic scale. Now if I were a proton rather than a human, then I would agree with you.

[@TeethToothman]

❤

[@jeandivine3]

Good luck

[@madderhat5852]

3:55 Hey Doc, let's keep it PG here. Greg is a sensitive young man. : )

[@poppasmurf4115]

dude...you need to start clearing your submissions through me. i'm not a spaceman, but my friends all agree that i'm a "space case". i'm able to accomplish this TOTALLY without drugs "(innate talent, i guess). i'm willing to share my deep understanding of "spirit science" and the brilliant works of davis ickes, of course with my own commentary. i would be willing to share my insights, of course for a nominal fee. i'm drunk right now (as per usual), but be sure to get in touch if you want to upgrade your content. 😜🤪🤣👍

[@Tapecutter59]

You're complaining because something doesn't describe all the things it wasn't intended to describe. That's like complaining that relativity doesn't describe the taste of ice cream?

[@chrissscottt]

Hmm I disagree Paul, I think broad analogies aren't designed to encompass nuance.

[@infinitemonkey917]

It was designed to simply give the layman / non scientist a general sense of timescale. I think you are reading too much into it.