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The Universe Is 13.73 Billion Years Old

CaptainCarrot writes "Phil Plait, aka The Bad Astronomer has summarized for his readers the new results released by NASA from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which has been surveying the 3K microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang. Some of the most interesting results: The age of the universe is now known to unprecedented accuracy: 13.73 billion years old, +/- 120 million. Spacetime is flat to within a 2% error margin. And ordinary matter and energy account for only 4.62% of the universe's total. Plait's comment on the age result: 'Some people might say it doesn't look a day over 6000 years. They're wrong.'"

28 of 755 comments (clear)

  1. It is 13.73 billion years and three days old by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Funny

    They forgot to take into account the time they did the experiment and the time they published the results.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:It is 13.73 billion years and three days old by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but the universe has gotten 7.5 billion years older in the last 30 years, so you have to scale it too.

    2. Re:It is 13.73 billion years and three days old by gnick · · Score: 4, Funny

      ...about another 570,792,046,090 years. Only if you track time using an unsigned integer - You know about the problems that caused in some programs storing dates prior to 1970.

      What if we want to reference an event before the universe existed? I think the best solution is just to keep a sign bit and re-evaluate the issue in 278.54 billion years.
      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  2. Big Mistake by clonan · · Score: 4, Funny

    'Some people might say it doesn't look a day over 6000 years. They're wrong.'"

    You NEVER tell a woman she looks older!!!

    1. Re:Big Mistake by pilgrim23 · · Score: 5, Funny

      In the beginning the singularity was void and without (much of anything), then BLIND CHANCE said "Let there be Quanta!"
      and the morning and the evening of the first femtosecond. .......And the Hawkings radiation begat energy, and the energy begat matter, yea even unto the event horizon... Hey the only Genesis I know well was made by Sega...

      --
      - Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
    2. Re:Big Mistake by Zeinfeld · · Score: 5, Funny
      "The Universe Is 13.73 Billion Years Old"

      Aren't we forgetting something before we start the flamefest?

      Happy birthday to you
      Happy birthday to you
      Happy birthday dear universe
      Happy

      Oh crap the RIAA just appeared at my desk complaining about a copyright infringement.

      --
      Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
      Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
    3. Re:Big Mistake by Zeinfeld · · Score: 4, Funny
      Well duuuhhh, I said the RIAA appeared, not that they had a case.

      According to Warner the song is in copyright till 2030. I don't think its a claim that could be sustained though. Splitting one note is hardly cause for a 45 year extention of copyright.

      --
      Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
      Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
  3. Some Perspective: by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Go placidly amid the noise and waste,
    and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
    Avoid quiet and passive persons, unless you are in need of sleep.
    Rotate your tires.
    Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself
    and heed well their advice, even though they be turkeys.
    Know what to kiss... and when.
    Consider that two wrongs never make a right... but that three do.
    Wherever possible, put people on hold.
    Be comforted that in the face of all erridity and disallusionment,
    and despite the changing fortunes of time,
    there is always a big future in computer maintainance.

    Remember the Pueblo.
    Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle, and mutilate.
    Know yourself. If you need help, call the FBI.
    Exercise caution in your daily affairs,
    especially with those persons closest to you...
    that lemon on your left, for instance.
    Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls
    would scarcely get your feet wet.
    Fall not in love, therefore; it will stick to your face.
    Gracefully surrender the things of youth,
    birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan,
    and let not the sands of time get in your lunch.
    Hire people with hooks.
    For a good time call 606-4311. Ask for Ken.
    Take heart amid the deepening gloom
    that your dog is finally getting enough cheese,
    and reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot,
    it could only be worse in Milwaukee.

    You are a fluke of the Universe.
    You have no right to be here,
    and weather you can hear it or not,
    the Universe is laughing behind your back.

    Therefore, make peace with your god,
    whatever you conceive him to be:
    hairy thunderer or cosmic muffin.
    With all its hopes, dreams, promises, and urban renewal,
    the world continues to deteriorate.

    Give up

    Music by Christopher Guest

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  4. Wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    There was a universe before I was born?

    1. Re:Wait by sm62704 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, believe it or not, there was. I know because I was a beta tester for dirt.

      They never did get all the bugs out.

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    2. Re:Wait by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 4, Funny

      You do realize, sir, that this revelation officially makes you older than dirt?

  5. Mother in Law's Age? by ToxikFetus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, I'm glad that's settled. Now let's see if they can figure out my mother-in-law's age.

    1. Re:Mother in Law's Age? by 3waygeek · · Score: 4, Funny

      just cut her in half and count the rings.

  6. Figurative or literal? by hal2814 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "After about a microsecond, it had cooled enough for protons and neutrons to form. Three minutes later (yes, just three minutes) it had cooled enough for protons and neutrons to stick together."

    Is it a literal microsecond or a figurative one? You always have to question measurements of time in creation stories. Did they really mean a minute? Maybe that minute was 4 years long...

    1. Re:Figurative or literal? by truthsearch · · Score: 4, Funny

      You always have to question measurements of time in creation stories.

      Maybe in Genensis one day is 2 billion of our current years. That would mean the Biblical time period is correct. Maybe the creationists are right, just their precision is off!

  7. How flat is the universe? by lpangelrob · · Score: 5, Funny

    We now know that the universe is flat with only a 2% margin of error.

    This would make a good bar bet - which is flatter, the universe, or Kansas?

  8. The Answers Were Already There! by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    The age of the universe is now known to unprecedented accuracy: 13.73 billion years old, +/- 120 million. Spacetime is flat to within a 2% error margin. And ordinary matter and energy account for only 4.62% of the universe's total. Plait's comment on the age result: 'Some people might say it doesn't look a day over 6000 years. They're wrong.'" This was already spelled out in the bible, the answers are all there. Recall that the number of towns and villages in Joshua concatenated with the number of sons Abraham's brother had concatenated with how many days old Isaac was when he was circumcised concatenated with the number of sons Noah had concatenated with Jesus' age when he died is (by no mere coincidence) 2288333 1/3! Which proves that one year to God is like 2,288,333 and 1/3 years to humans.

    Do the math, the earth really is 6,000 god years x 2288333 1/3 human yr/god yr = 13.73 billion human years old!

    It all fits, the answers were already right before your eyes in the good book. Who needs a scientician or "NASA" to tell us this when we already know it?!
    --
    My work here is dung.
  9. Re:The 6000-year people may be right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Contrary to what the average slashbot living in their parents' basement thinks, there *is* hard scientific evidence that the Earth is only 6000 years old.

    For example...

    I wonder how many atheists will just pooh-pooh this evidence instead of actually trying to retort it.

  10. Re:There is no contradiction. by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

    And when you can get a ship traveling sufficient close to C for this to be the case, let us know.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  11. Re:There is no contradiction. by Wandering+Wombat · · Score: 4, Funny

    So... you've proved that Photons are Christian?

    --
    I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
  12. Re:There is no contradiction. by theskipper · · Score: 4, Funny

    Only if they've "seen the light".

  13. Re:There is no contradiction. by rice_burners_suck · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have this rowboat outside called the Poseidon. I drop a C compiler CD-ROM into the water next to it and I'm in a ship traveling close to C. Heck, I can travel close to C++ for that matter.

  14. One glaring problem with this calculation by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    The universe was born on February 29 - so it's really just a bit over 3 billion years old.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  15. Re:There is no contradiction. by Wordplay · · Score: 4, Funny

    Come on, don't show your bias; try to be Objective-C.

  16. Re:There is no contradiction. by Ortega-Starfire · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, Photons have mass, they are Catholic.

    --
    ---- Liquid was a patriot ----
  17. Well Happy Birthday Universe!! by Timmy+D+Programmer · · Score: 4, Funny

    I remember when you were just knee high to a grasshopper. Now look at you, so big and 'universal'

    --


    (If at first you don't succeed, do it different next time!)
  18. Re:I've never understood that by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    I like Bill Hick's response to that argument.

    "Well, God put fossils here to test our faith!"
    "I think he put you here to test my faith, dude."

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  19. 13.79 years = about to hit puberty by spineboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh boy I can see it now, the universe is 17.79 billion years and should go thru puberty soon. Bad mood swings, voice changes, hair growing on funny places like Saturns rings, the M31 and M5 galaxies are both getting bigger,.....and those funny sensations.

    --
    ..........FULL STOP.