Indeed, the idea of cyclical time has arisen in many different civilization. The Hindus conceive of cosmic cycles of vast length and believe that the world it periodically destroyed and re-created. During the Vedic period (about 1500 to 600 B.C.), Indian sages elaborated upon this and conceived of cycles within cycles. The smallest was an age, about 360 human years. The longest, which were on the order of 300 trillion years, corresponded to the lives of the gods.
The ancient Chinese believed in a cyclical interplay between the opposing cosmic principles of yin and yang, and calculated a cycle of 23,639 years. In the New World, the Aztecs and Mayas believed in cyclical time and cyclical catastrophes. They were somwhat more moderate in ther conception of time than the Hindus, however. According to Aztec belief, the world was in danger of being destroyed every fifty-two years. We also find the idea of world cycles in Norse mythology. According to Norse myth, the earth and the heavens would be destroyed in a final battle between the gods and the giants. The world would be created anew, with new gods and a new human race. Presumably this was a process that would be repeated over and over and over again.
The Great Year
In ancient Greece, it was commonly believed that a cycle existed known as the great year. When, after thousands of years, the sun, the moon, and the five known planets regained a certin original configuration, time would have completed its cycle. In every cycle, there would be a "great winter," curing which the world would be inundated with rain and floods, and a "great summer," during which it would be destroyed by fire.
Although the idea of cyclical time was opposed by the Church, belief in the doctrine persisted for many centuries. In 1277, when Etienne Templier, the bishop of Paris, cited some 219 opinions to be condemned as heretical, the doctrine of cyclical time was sixth on the list."
Supernova Explosions
Some supernovas become 200 million times brighter than our sun when the light they emit reaches peak intensity. If such an explosion took place in a star system thirty light years away, the resulting supernova would, for a brief period, appear to be sixteen times as bright as a full moon. Although this would be a dramatic sight, it woudl not be a pleasant one to behold, for the radiation that accompanied the light would cause mass extinctions, and most likely bring human civilization to an end."