7 Stages of the Big Bang (by Sawyer)

Stage #3 - Cooling Cosmos & Quarks> Protons + Neutrons

A rapidly cooling cosmos permits quarks to clump up into protons and neutrons. Since the universe has expanded so much since its beginning (and still is expanding rapidly), it has started to cool. However, it is still extremely hot and no where near as cool as it is as today.

Stage #2 - A Hot Mess & a Jumble of Particles

After the sudden inflation, the universe was a seething hot mess. The extremely hot and still very young universe only contained a jumble of electrons, quarks, and other particles. There were still no atoms.

Stage #7 - Heavy Elements In/Become Stars

As galaxies cluster together under gravity, the first stars die and spew heavy elements into space. Those elements will eventually end up in stars. Heavy elements will also turn into new stars. Heavy elements also come from supernova explosions. We have heavy elements on Earth!

Stage #5 - Let There Be Light & Hydrogen + Helium

Electrons combine with protons and neutrons to form atoms, mostly hydrogen and helium! At this point in time, light can finally shine. This is a very important milestone for the universe.

Stage #6 - Giant Clouds, Galaxies, & Stars (by He & H)

Gravity makes hydrogen and helium gas combine to form the giant clouds that will become galaxies. Smaller clumps of gas will collapse and form the first ever stars!

Stage #1 - Inflation & the Beginning

In the beginning, the cosmos goes through a super fast inflation, expanding from the size of an atom to the size of a watermelon. This sudden change of mass happened in a tiny fraction of a second. We do not know what caused the Big Bang still to this day.

Stage #4 - Dark, Hot, and Foggy Universe (EP)

Still too hot to form into atoms, charged electrons and protons prevent light from shining yet. This means the universe a super hot foggy mess. There is no visible light radiating either.