A ruler of time
How Long Does It Last?
A Snapchat view lasts seconds. A Greenland shark lasts centuries. A star lasts billions of years. Here they all are on one scale — so you can feel just how staggering the difference is.
The whole scale
Every duration, from a flash of lightning to the age of the universe, on one logarithmic scale. Scroll down to travel through time — tap any item to read more or to drop it into the comparison above.
⚠︎ Every number here is a typical, rounded ballpark — a mayfly that lives a day, a human that lives ~73 years, a star like the Sun. Real durations vary enormously. This is for awe and perspective, not precision.