Measured quantity · Cosmology

The Age of the Universe

Cosmology & UniverseEstablished Science

Definition

The time elapsed since the Big Bang, measured to be about 13.8 billion years.

Scientific overview

Combining the cosmic microwave background with the ΛCDM model yields a precise age for the Universe. Independent checks — the ages of the oldest stars and globular clusters — agree.

Current measurements

Age

13.787 ± 0.020 billion years

Planck Collaboration

Rests on

The Hubble Constant

Knowledge connections

Depends onThe Hubble Constant
Part of modelThe Lambda-CDM Model

Sources & references

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

Planck CollaborationESA Planck mission / Planck Collaboration
Cosmic microwave background maps and the cosmological parameters of the ΛCDM model.

Quick facts

Type: Measured quantity
Field: Cosmology
Consensus: Established Science
Part of model: The Lambda-CDM Model

Scientific consensus

Established Science

Observationally confirmed and consistent across all leading models.

Quality & authority

Partial

Unreviewed

Description: Complete
Source coverage: Partial
Relationship coverage: Partial
Review coverage: None
Citation coverage: Not applicable
Image coverage: Not applicable

Curated from authoritative sources. See source quality.

Scientific citations

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

Institutional pageThe Age of the Universe — NASA Universe

NASA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA (n.d.). The Age of the Universe — NASA Universe. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/

@misc{cite:nasa-cosmo-the-age-of-the-universe,
  title        = {The Age of the Universe — NASA Universe},
  organization = {NASA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/},
  note         = {NASA science overview: The Age of the Universe.}
}