The speaker is discussing various future events that humans likely won't live long enough to experience. He mentions that the year 6009 will be the first year since 1961 when the Hindu-Arabic numerals can be inverted and still look the same. He also discusses the time pyramid in Wemding, Germany, which will be completed in the year 3183, far beyond human lifespans.
The speaker also talks about the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which will be safe for human activity only by the year 22000. The speaker notes that stars like Betelgeuse and Eta Carinae will explode in brilliant supernovas visible from Earth, an event that is expected to occur within the next one million years.
The speaker then discusses the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. He explains that Andromeda is currently moving towards the Milky Way, and in 2 billion years, it will be so close that people will see a dramatic change in the night sky. In 3.75 billion years, the night sky will be filled with the birth of new stars as the two galaxies collide.
The speaker also mentions other future events that humans will miss out on, such as total solar eclipses, the existence of Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, and Saturn's rings. The speaker then discusses the concept of episodic memory, noting that humans do not remember their own conception or birth.
Finally, the speaker talks about the website "When Was I Conceived?" which allows users to find out when they were conceived based on their birth date. He explains that this website can help users visualize the journey of light from a star as old as they are to the Earth.
1. The year 6009 will be the first year since 1961 that a year, when written in Hindu-Arabic numerals, can be inverted and still look the same .
2. Human lives may not be long enough to enjoy the year 6009 .
3. The time pyramid in Wemding, Germany will be completed in the year 3183 .
4. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone will not be safe for human activity until the year 22000 .
5. Stars like Betelgeuse and Eta Carinae will explode in brilliant supernovas visible from Earth in about 1 million years .
6. The Milky Way Galaxy is full of stars, and every drop of milk in the sky is inside it .
7. The Andromeda Galaxy is an entirely different galaxy, two-and-a-half million light years away from our own .
8. The Milky Way and Andromeda will collide in 3.75 billion years .
9. The Moon will move one centimetre further away from Earth every year, and in 600 million years, it will no longer be close enough to Earth to completely block out the Sun .
10. Niagara Falls will erode all the way to Lake Erie by the year 52000 .
11. Mount Rushmore will no longer exist by the year 7 million due to its erosion rate .
12. Saturn will no longer have its lovely rings in 50 to 100 million years .
13. Future life on Earth might have awesome supernovas and galactic collisions to look forward to, but they probably won't have Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, total solar eclipses, or Saturn's rings .
14. Babies don't begin to form episodic memories right away, meaning they don't remember their conception and birth .
15. Light travels quickly, but it can take a photon millions of years to escape from the interior of the star it was created in through nuclear fusion .
16. A lucky, tiny percentage of the photons that reach the surface of a star find themselves on a path that will intersect with Earth .
17. The online calculator "When Was I Conceived? dot com" allows you to enter your birthday and get back the week your parents probably made you, as well as the number one song and the number one movie of that week .