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An Older, Larger Universe

Josh Fink writes "Space.com has a very interesting article as part their weekly mystery Monday series about a new calculation that shows that the Universe is actually much older than than the 14.3 billion years old that was established in 2003. From the article, "...the universe is instead about 15.8 billion years old and about 180 billion light-years wide." The calculations were based off of a recalculation of the Hubble Constant which dictates how fast the universe is expanding, and they found it is actually 15% slower than previously thought. The findings will be printed in an upcoming edition of Astrophysical Journal."

23 of 479 comments (clear)

  1. What is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1.5 billion year between friends? She's still under 18.0 billion, so be careful! :/

    1. Re:What is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      14.3 billion years is her showbiz age.

    2. Re:What is... by BarfBits · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's 10.5 billion in Dog Years!

    3. Re:What is... by StikyPad · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sort of how my nephew always reminds me that he's much older than five... he's five and a half!

  2. 15.8 billion years old? by Alicat1194 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Man...that's dead in dog years!

    --
    You can learn a lot about a person if you just take the time to inject them with sodium pentathol
  3. It was because it looked .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    so good for its age! Gotta hand it to the old Universe there - it kept itself up!

    Expanding, contracting, etc.. really kept it in shape! Helped it age gracefully! This is a lesson kids, eat well, exercise, drink moderately , and you too can look 14 Billion years old when you're 15.8!

  4. Old by HugePedlar · · Score: 5, Funny

    As long as it's still older than 6000 years I'm happy.

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    Argh.
  5. Re:Yea, but what's outside by neoform · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't you watch futurama? Once you get to the edge of the universe there's a lookout point where you can look at the other universe.. (yes, there's only 2 universes)

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    MABASPLOOM!
  6. 180B years wide but only 15B years old? by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 4, Funny

    So if it's 180B light-years wide, but 15B years old, does that mean that on average, if it started as a singularity, it has expanded at 10x the speed of light since the beginning of time?(tm) Do I get the Nobel prize in physics now?

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    stuff |
  7. Re:180 billion light-years wide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    How did they figure that out

    They used a string.

    and what's outside of that?

    Dragons
  8. Re:Yea, but what's outside by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the link in the article:
    Need a visual? Imagine the universe just a million years after it was born, Cornish suggests. A batch of light travels for a year, covering one light-year. "At that time, the universe was about 1,000 times smaller than it is today," he said. "Thus, that one light-year has now stretched to become 1,000 light-years."

    Which is one of the many reasons I consider any science that hasn't gone into producing a working television at least 95% bullshit.

  9. Re:180 billion light-years wide by Gunfighter · · Score: 4, Funny

    How did they figure that out


    Triangulation?
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    -- Stu

    /. ID under 2,000. I feel old now.
  10. 15% Slower by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

    > the universe is...about 180 billion light-years wide...and 15% slower

    Yeah well, I'm a little wider and a bit slower each year too.

  11. Re:Yea, but what's outside by D-Cypell · · Score: 5, Funny

    What happens when you hit the border? Is there a passport checkpoint?

    It is probably biometrics now but who cares when there is so much to do in this universe. Infact, anyone who wants to leave this universe is clearly unpatriotic anyway.

  12. Re:Yea, but what's outside by TheRealBurKaZoiD · · Score: 3, Funny
    Is there a passport checkpoint?

    No, but I hear there is a pretty decent restaurant at the end of the universe. Just make sure you tip the robot parking your car.

  13. The real age of the Universe discovered! by dzfoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    AP 08/07/2006, Jordan - In related news, a new scroll has been uncovered in the Dead Sea that categorically insists that God most definitely did *NOT* rest on the seventh day, and perhaps worked on the Creation at least half-way through the next week. The Universe is now believed to be 9 1/2 days old; a full 3 days older than originally thought.

            -dZ.

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    Carol vs. Ghost
    ...Can you save Christmas?
  14. Re:Yea, but what's outside by rockchops · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The galaxy is in Orion's belt"

  15. Re:Yea, but what's outside by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    How about illegal aliens?

  16. Re:It still seems too small by 91degrees · · Score: 2, Funny

    There's is a margin for error of +/- 680 billion in the margin for error.

  17. Re:Yea, but what's outside by mcmonkey · · Score: 3, Funny
    "What's north of the North Pole?"


    The Norther Pole?


    And wouldn't the 1-dimensional surface of a ball be a circle?

  18. Official Slogan? by Drathos · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Hubble Constant - Fluctuating since 1929

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    End of line..
  19. I'm like the Universe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm a lot like the universe... I've expanded with age- but not at a constant rate.

  20. Re:Yea, but what's outside by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Space: It seems to go on and on forever...but then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you.