The age of the universe is currently estimated to be about 13.8 billion years. This estimate is based on measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation and the expansion rate of the universe, primarily within the framework of the Lambda-CDM cosmological model. The Planck satellite mission's 2018 results give a precise figure of approximately 13.787 ± 0.020 billion years
. Different methods, including studying the oldest stars and the rate of cosmic expansion, converge on this value, although small variations exist depending on the data and techniques used. For example, data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope suggest an age of about 13.77 billion years, while Planck data suggest around 13.82 billion years
. These differences are minor and within the range of measurement uncertainties. There has been some recent controversial research proposing that the universe could be significantly older-up to about 26.7 billion years- based on new models of galaxy formation and observations of unexpectedly mature early galaxies. However, this is not the consensus view and challenges the standard cosmological model
. In summary, the widely accepted age of the universe remains about 13.8 billion years, with ongoing research refining this figure and occasionally proposing alternative models.
