How old is the universe, and where did the figure come from?

:bugeye:
Just wondering. Had a stray thought bouncing in my noggin and wanted to investigate it.

~V~

 

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Ok, I saw one page that says 12billion years. It also says the diameter is around 25billion light-years. I don't know if these figures are right, of course. Here's my idea (it's crude as I'm working it out as I type):

Assuming a bigbang theory for the creation of the universe, assuming that matter cannot accelerate to the speed of light, nor get anywhere close without becomming infinately massive...

Hmm, still working out idea...
I'm wondering, how is it the universe we can see (site I saw said the diameter that we could see was 25billion light years) isn't unfathomably older? What I'm trying to say is that it would take a very long time for matter from the origin (big bang) to travel outward. Even *at* the speed of light (which physics currently says isn't really possible), it would still have taken those distant sources of light 12.5billion years to make it to the edge of the diameter from the origin of the explosion.

I'm thinking maybe that normal phsyics didn't apply in those first few moments? I'm no physics genius so help me out here. Something about the current explanation doesn't sit right in my brain

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~V~

 

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Well If I am not mistaken scientists say it is between 15 and 20 Billion years old and it is that big because light takes a year to travel a light year. HMmm more clearly.... The farthest object seen through a telescope is that far away so they figure that.....hmmmm wait something funny about what I am saying....thinking....I dont know how to explain what just poped ing my head or even if I understand what Just poped in my head but....Oh baby.... This is a real thinker..

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Well Tristan, I aim to please.

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~V~

 

To my knowldege, as a result of the Inflationary Hypothosis (which explains that in the early stages of the big bang cosmic expansion took place at speeds MUCH greater than the speed of light) that most galaxies are so far away that the light emitted from them has not yet had enough time to reach are telescopes.

The universe cannot be younger than 12 billion years old because it was 12 billion years ago that our galaxy was formed. I'm not exactly sure what current estimates are though.

 

Hi
If i remember corectly i read that they have just discovered a galaxy about 18 billion ly's away, which they believe was one of the first to ever form. So the universe would not be much older.

That is before they discover something else!

 

As Edwin Hubble found out objects that look far away where moving away faster than objects that are closer. This is the so called recession velocity of galaxies. It is the basic observation that led to the Big Bang hypothesis. When you plot this out on graph paper you find the recession velocity is about 50 Km per second per megaparsec. This value is called the Hubble Constant. The hubble constant, if known accurately, can be used to measure distance.

The problem is, measuring distances and velocities of remote galaxies is difficult. You need what are called Standard Candles to measure. The problem is that a number of standard candles are calibrated against hubbles constant.

From General Relativity you can derive a number of equations that give, amongst others, the age of the Universe. This eqauation depends strongly on the Hubble Constant. Which is what you expect if you think about it. If the universe expands slowly remote objects will be closer (than present) for a given age.

There are currently two values for the Hubble Constant based on two differing methods of working it out. This gives ages fo the Universe of around 18-20 something Billion Years.

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Edited to add the bit in bold

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While not in the ball park of the universe's age, I thought this might be of interest on the subject.

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Check this

http://www.sciforums.com/t5242/s/thread.html

 

the universe is eternal

 

Eternal Present

What is time?
If you think about, time is only an illusion controlled by light! The light determine the time, so, how old really are the Universe? And there is some kind of connection here, between ligth, time, space, and gravity, as gravity determine the past and the future of the Universe. Are we about to discover the Fith Dimension?!?

The only time that exists is the present. Everything else is just "fiction". We live in an eternal present (mainly if you are traveling in the speed of light!!...

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Blessings,
Nelson