Astronomy Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

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What does the Cosmic Calendar represent?

A representation of the Earth's seasons

A scale compressing human history into 1 year

A scale compressing the history of the universe into 1 year

The Cosmic Calendar is a thought experiment that helps to visualize the timeline of the universe by compressing its approximately 13.8-billion-year history into a single year. In this framework, each month corresponds to about 1.15 billion years, each day represents about 37 million years, and even hours reflect significant epochs in cosmic history. For instance, the formation of Earth occurs in early September, and human history is a mere few seconds on December 31.

By using this scale, the vastness of cosmic time becomes more comprehensible, allowing us to appreciate both the age of the universe and the relatively brief period humans have existed when compared to the entire timeline of cosmic events. This perspective emphasizes the enormity of cosmic history and the fleeting nature of human existence within it.

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A timeline of galaxy formations

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