Home » Science & Nature » Astronomy » The Age of the Universe

The Age of the Universe

© Jason Wood

Astronomers in the past have studied the redshift of galaxies to determine how fast the galaxy is expanding and, thus, conclude the age of the universe. Previous studies provided the number as 13-15 billion years. But now, astronomers have found another way to test for the age of the universe.

Cosmic Background Radiation is what is left over from the big bang. It's microwave radiation that was discovered when researchers found a signal that seemed to be coming from all directions. I'll spare the details, as they do not pertain to this article, but there is amble information, if you are interested, on the Internet and in books.

The astronomers analyzed the sound waves from the background radiation. The waves are carried on the photons created during the Big Bang that have since cooled to microwaves. However, these waves are not heard. They are visible -- with the right instruments, of course. The waves show up as hot and cold spots when looking at temperature maps of the background radiation.

By analyzing the spots we can determine the age of the universe. The farther away the spots lie from the Earth, the older the universe is. The number produced by the studies have confirmed earlier tests for the age of the universe. In fact, it has narrowed it down. It's estimated that the universe is 13.5 to 14.5 billion years old.