How old is the universe, and how do we know this?

Hello Andrewv-ga,


According to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data, the
universe is 13.7 Billion Years Old.
NASA: WMAP
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_mm/mr_age.html


How do they know?

“To see the afterglow of the Big Bang is to know the age of the
Universe: 13.7 billion years within a remarkable 1% error.

A new cosmic portrait -- mapping the afterglow of the Big Bang, called
the cosmic microwave background -- was captured by scientists using
NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) during a sweeping
12-month observation of the entire sky.

The WMAP image reveals 13 billion+ year old temperature fluctuations
(shown as color differences) that correspond to the seeds that grew to
become the galaxies.” Credit: NASA/WMAP

Astrobiology Magazine
http://www.astrobio.net/news/print.php?sid=374


“Astronomers estimate the age of the universe in two ways: 1) by
looking for the oldest stars; and 2) by measuring the rate of
expansion of the universe and extrapolating back to the Big Bang.”
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101age.html


Additional information that may interest you:

You can read about the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
team making the first detailed full-sky map of the oldest light in the
universe here:
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_mm.html


Search Criteria:
Age of Universe
How do we know the Age of Universe?


I hope you find this helpful!

Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga