Universe Is 2X Older Than We Initially Thought; Big Bang Occurred 26.7 Billion Years Ago

The universe is older than we previously estimated. A new report determined when the Big Bang happened, giving us a glimpse of when the universe started.

When Did the Big Bang Happen?

A recent study that questions the dominant cosmological model suggests that the universe is almost twice as old as previously believed. According to a new model developed by the University of Ottawa experts, the Big Bang occurred 26.7 billion years ago.

This suggests that our universe is nearly twice the age as prior estimations, which was 13.7 billion years old. Professor Rajendra Gupta, an author of the study, said that based on their new model, the universe is 26.7 billion years old, Daily Mail reported.

Today, the universe's age has been determined by examining the oldest stars and the redshift of light from distant galaxies. Using the model, they estimated the age of our galaxy in 2021 to be 13.797 billion years.

The existence of stars that appear to be considerably older than this has baffled many researchers. For instance, a star in the constellation Libra named Methuselah is thought to be between 13.65 billion and 15.25 billion years old.

A few early galaxies that seem to be in an advanced stage of evolution have also been found by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

According to Professor Gupta, the earlier paradigm based on the redshift of light is worn out. According to him, it becomes conceivable to view the redshift as a hybrid phenomenon, rather than one solely caused by expansion, by allowing this idea to coexist alongside the expanding universe.

He proposes an alternative constant that explains the evolution of the "coupling constants." Fundamental physical constants, known as coupling constants, control how particles interact with one another.

Paul Dirac put forth the initial theory that these constants may have changed in 1928.

Professor Gupta claims that by enabling early galaxies to grow, it is possible to increase the timeframe for their formation from a few hundred million years to several billion years, as seen by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope at high redshifts.

He also suggests that the conventional understanding of the "cosmological constant," which is thought to be dark energy responsible for the universe's accelerated expansion, needs to be updated.

ALSO READ: Dark Energy That Periodically Switches On, Off Could Lead To More Big Bangs

What Is the Big Bang?

Georges Lemaître, an astronomer, a.k.a. The "Father of Big Bang," had a brilliant idea in 1927. He claimed that the cosmos was once a single point that gradually stretched and expanded to reach its current size and had the potential to do so indefinitely, per NASA Science Space Place.

According to legend, the universe began as a hot, dense mixture of small particles, light, and energy. Nothing compared to what we see today. It cooled down as everything grew and occupied more room.

The minute particles congregated. They developed atoms. These atoms then formed groups. Atoms joined over a long time to create stars and galaxies.

This adjustment to the cosmological model enables more precise observations and addresses the conundrum of the small galaxy sizes seen in the early cosmos.

The first stars produced larger atoms and groupings of atoms. More stars were born as a result of that. Galaxies were merging and colliding at the same time. As brand-new stars evolved and died, asteroids, comets, planets, and black holes emerged.

Some call it the "Big Bang" because it grew large and produced such wonderful things.