Big bang, emergence of fundamental forces and elementary particles, domination of matter over radiation, rise of neutral atoms, cosmic background radiation; light and color, telescopes.

Dark ages, cosmic dawn, birth of galaxies, galaxy mergers, ionization of intergalactic hydrogen by the first stars, birth of the Milky Way; types of galaxies, active galaxies.

Formation of Milky Way halo, population I stars, rise of star clusters and thin disk of our Galaxy, birth and evolution of stars, death of stars; planetary nebula, white dwarf, neutron star, black hole.

Birth of the solar system, formation of the inner planets, cosmic bombardment, plate tectonics; gas giants, ice giants, moons, asteroids, comets, heliosphere, space weather, space exploration.

Emergence of life on Earth, atmospheric oxygen and the ozone layer; detecting exoplanets, atmosphere of exoplanets, habitable zones, detectable signatures of life on exoplanets.

Emergence of complex cells, multicellular organisms, land animals, warm-blooded animals, extinction of the dinosaurs, origin of mammals and humans; probability of life out there.

Human migration out of Africa, Upper Paleolithic cultural revolution, beginning of agriculture and states, advancement of science and technology, waves of globalization, search for extraterrestrial intelligence.