Age of Universe determined

[Noah]

Definitely big news here. Not only have they found the age of the universe, but also the composistion and when stars first formed.

Before MAP, the best estimate of the age of the Universe was 12 to 15 billion years. Now MAP has pinned that down to 13.7 billion years, give or take around 0.1 billion years.

-New Scientist


New Scientist - Sharp new portrait of the infant Universe

NASA WMAP - The First Detailed Full Sky Picture os the Oldest Light in the Universe

Space.com - 'Astounding' Findings Pin Down Age of Universe, Birth of First Stars

[Tormod]

This is extremely interesting stuff.

I keep reading books by cosmologists where the age of the universe ranges from 10-15 billion years. One even claimed that the radius of the observable Universe is 12 billion years or so...hope it's a misprint...

On another note, I just read the book "Time Travel in Einstein's Universe" by J. Richard Gott III. He has a theory in which the universe actually goes back in time to create itself.

It's a neat way to avoid the chicken-and-egg question of "what was before the big bang", but I honestly didn't buy it...

Good work, Noah. Maybe we should put together a hypography on how they measure the age of the universe?

Tormod

[Noah]

Originally posted by: tormod
This is extremely interesting stuff.

I keep reading books by cosmologists where the age of the universe ranges from 10-15 billion years. One even claimed that the radius of the observable Universe is 12 billion years or so...hope it's a misprint...

On another note, I just read the book "Time Travel in Einstein's Universe" by J. Richard Gott III. He has a theory in which the universe actually goes back in time to create itself.

It's a neat way to avoid the chicken-and-egg question of "what was before the big bang", but I honestly didn't buy it...

Good work, Noah. Maybe we should put together a hypography on how they measure the age of the universe?

Tormod

That would be perfect because it would fit into the research I am doing for my paper on the Big Bang theory.

[Noah]

There is now a lot of negative response to this saying that getting it down to .1 billion year accuracy is impossible with what data we have.

Tormod, I am going to get that wrote up on the different ways they attempt to measure the age of the universe. Just a little busy with college and life in general right now.

[Mr.B]

I read in my sCHOOL bOOKS that PRimeval atom exploded like bak 15 years bak....but i feel good to know...its 13.7 Million......

[Tormod]

Man, that is some book. At least it must be younger than 15 years.

Tormod