Word of the day: stelliferous
So what does such a strange word mean? It is in fact a reference to a period of time – but a period the length of which you will struggle to comprehend.
It all comes from the book “The Five Ages of the Universe” which discusses the history, present state, and probable future of the universe, according to cosmologists’ current understanding. The book divides the timeline of the universe into five eras: the primordial Era, the Stelliferous Era, the Degenerate Era, the Black Hole Era and the Dark Era.
The Stelliferous Era is the current era in which matter is arranged in the form of stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters, and most energy is produced in stars. It is the era in which you and every member of humankind has been, is, or will be in existence.
The Stelliferous Era is the one with bright stars. Before that, the universe did not have stars. After that, the universe will only have brown dwarfs, white dwarfs and black holes.