Cosmic Chronicles: What We’ll Miss and What We Hold Dear

Hey there! Have you ever thought about what amazing things are coming up in the future? While you and I might not live long enough to see some of these events, it's still fun to think about what awaits us. Let’s take a journey through time and space and explore some fascinating facts about the future, the past, and our lives!

### A Unique Year: 6009

First, let’s talk about the year 6009. This will be the first time since 1961 that a year written in our number system (Hindu-Arabic numerals) can be flipped upside down and still look the same! Pretty cool, right? Sadly, we won’t be around to enjoy it, but there are other exciting future events we might miss out on.

### The Time Pyramid in Germany

For example, there’s a time pyramid being built in Wemding, Germany. It will eventually consist of 120 concrete blocks. But here’s the catch: they’re only adding one block every ten years! Since they started in 1993, they’ve only added three blocks so far. If they keep this pace, it won’t be completed until the year 3183. That’s a long wait!

### Chernobyl and Future Adventures

Another thing we’ll miss is the chance to safely visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which is where the nuclear disaster happened in 1986. The area will be too radioactive for safe human activity until the year 22,000.

But don’t be too sad! In the next million years, we’ll get to see some spectacular sights. Stars like Betelgeuse and Eta Carinae will explode in supernovas so bright they will be visible even during the daytime! Imagine looking up and seeing two suns in the sky!

### A Galactic Collision

Now, here’s something mind-blowing: in about 3.75 billion years, our galaxy, the Milky Way, will collide with another galaxy called Andromeda. This is a huge event, and the night sky will look incredible! As the two galaxies mix together, we’ll witness the birth of new stars, creating a stunning cosmic display.

### Missing the Total Solar Eclipse

While the future may hold spectacular views of galaxies and stars, future humans will miss some beautiful sights we enjoy today. For instance, the Moon is slowly moving away from Earth, and in about 600 million years, it will be too far away to block the Sun completely. This means they will never experience a total solar eclipse like we can.

### Changes to Our Planet

There are other natural wonders that future generations will miss out on. Niagara Falls is eroding at a rate of one foot per year. By the year 52,000, it will have eroded all the way back to Lake Erie, meaning no more beautiful falls to enjoy.

Additionally, Mount Rushmore, which is made of granite, will slowly disappear over millions of years due to erosion. And in 50 to 100 million years, Saturn will lose its stunning rings as well.

### Our Own Beginnings

Now, let’s take a moment to reflect on our own lives. Did you know that we don’t remember our conception or birth? Babies can’t form memories right away, so those two major life events are lost to us. However, there’s a fun way to find out when you were probably conceived! If you enter your birthday into a website called “When Was I Conceived?”, it will give you an estimate of the week your parents made you happen, along with the top song and movie from that time.

### The Journey of Light

Light travels incredibly fast, but it can take millions of years for a photon (a tiny particle of light) to escape from a star. Just like your own growth in your mother’s womb, it takes time. When a photon finally escapes and reaches Earth, it might be from a star that is just as old as you are!

If you enter your birth date into an online calculator, you can find a star that is the same number of light-years away from Earth as you are years old. When you look up at that star, you’re seeing light that left it at the very time you were born or even when you were just a single cell!

So while the future holds amazing sights like supernovas and galactic collisions, it will also miss out on some of the beautiful things we have today, like total solar eclipses and Niagara Falls. But don’t worry! Your life may be short, but it’s full of wonder. Space is vast, and there’s still so much to appreciate. So keep looking up at the stars, and remember, you’re part of this incredible universe! Thanks for joining me on this cosmic adventure!