We Found a Star Older Than the Universe — How Is This Possible?
Community Score: 50% | 2.6K views | 3w
0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down
How can a star be older than the Universe? The Universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old, yet astronomers once calculated that HD 140283 — better known as the Methuselah Star — could be around 14.5 billion years old. That seemingly impossible result made the Methuselah Star one of astronomy’s most fascinating cosmic mysteries. In this video, we investigate how astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure HD 140283, why its unusual chemical composition reveals that it formed extremely early in cosmic history, and how scientists determine the age of stars that are billions of years old. But the story gets stranger. Newer stellar models have produced significantly different ages for the same star, while observations of tiny vibrations inside HD 140283 have once again placed its estimated age surprisingly close to — and potentially slightly above — the accepted age of the Universe. So is the Methuselah Star actually older than the Big Bang? Or does this apparent contradict
Tags: space news, nasa, nasa space news, star older than the universe, Methuselah Star, HD 140283, oldest star, star older than universe, Hubble discoveries, NASA space discoveries, ancient star, oldest known star, Big Bang, before the Big Bang, early universe, universe mysteries, space mysteries, astronomy mysteries, cosmology, age of stars
More from NASA Space News
- Moon’s Two Faces FINALLY Explained? Artemis II & Chang’e-6 Reveal a Hidden Secret — Score: 50%
- It may be older than the universe itself — NASA puzzled by this star that breaks cosmic logic — Score: 50%
- NASA’s Voyager Found Something Wild — Now Humanity Is Replying — Score: 50%
- New Images and Methods from Euclid Reveal Hidden Cosmic Lenses Across the Universe — Score: 50%
- Changes Everything! Scientists Just Confirmed the Universe Doesn't Match Our Models — Score: 50%
- Happening! Private Space Station Being Assembled for Launch — Score: 50%