How Old is the Universe?
- brainsparkteam
- Jul 23, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 4, 2023
The age of the universe is a fundamental question that has fascinated scientists and philosophers for centuries. Thanks to the advances in modern science, we now have a pretty good idea of how old the universe actually is. But, new evidence has come to light to contradict the currently accepted age of the universe. However, to understand the future, we first need to take a trip to the past.
The current best estimate for the age of the universe is 13.8 billion years. This estimate is based on measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the afterglow of the Big Bang.
The Big Bang is widely accepted to be the start of the universe that we live in
This radiation was first detected in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their discovery.
Left - Robert Wilson, Right - Arno Penzias
On the other hand, very recently, Professor Rajendra Gupta, of the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa has put the age of the universe at almost double what has long been believed - 26.7 billion years old. How?
Well, he claims that, "The universe is expanding at a slower rate than it was expected or studied before. And, we find that a slower rate is the one which is the cause of the increased age of the universe."
This actually makes a lot of sense, because before the Big Bang, the universe was much smaller than what it is believed to be today. It is well known that the universe is expanding slowly over time, but he tells us that it is expanding slower than the "expected" rate. For the sake of simple calculations, let's say that the expected rate of expansion of the universe is 1. This means that the rate at which it is expanding right now is less than 1, for example 1/2. If the universe is expanding at 1/2 of what it is supposed to be expanding at, then for the universe to reach the size that it is today, it would have had to take longer. Twice as long, in this example, to maintain equilibrium.
Another much simpler way to explain this is with everyone's favorite thing: cookies! Let's say you have 10 cookies right now. You got 5 more each week, so it took you 2 weeks to get 100 cookies. However, what if you only get 2 cookies each week? Then, to have 10 cookies right now, you would need to have waited 5 weeks. 5 weeks is greater than 2 weeks, so it took more time because the increase was slower. I think you can see how this connects to the universe's age ...
These new concepts can actually help solve a lot of dilemmas, like how some galaxies have been recorded to exist just 300 million years after the Big Bang, yet they show the levels of maturity and mass of billions of years of interstellar exposure and cosmic evolution.
Stars like these are part of galaxies that are younger than they seem
Professor Gupta says, "In a short paper, in a short time, we have not considered every potential thing, especially at the early universe time." Gupta continues, "We explained certain things, but maybe other things we have not yet tried. For example, how the elements were created at the beginning of the universe."
Although this theory might need more compatible observations, it is safe to say that scientists might never have a definite solution to answer the mysterious questions that the universe will constantly pose to us.
Sadly, you can’t just hop onto a space shuttle and start solving this question right now. But, there is a way to make a difference in the world and foster some new ideas with Brainspark. This is an online learning platform where instead of you just being taught things, you can teach as well. Brainspark gives students the opportunity to become the professors discovering the age of the universe. So, sign up today, and watch your brain grow. Who knows, maybe with Brainspark’s help, you can be the first to put out there a definite possibility that might just be right. You might just be a subscription away.
Credits:
Professor Rajendra Gupta, Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa
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