The matter in summary Researchers from the University of Ottawa have published a study which claims that the universe is twice as old as previously thought. Norwegian professors are skeptical of this theory. Stars and galaxies have been found that some believe appear more developed than they should be, given the age of the universe. This has provided fertile ground for the idea that the universe may be older than we think. Norwegian professors believe the theory extends too far. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The universe. Everything that exists of space, energy and matter is encompassed by this one word. Somewhere out in all this, in the medium-sized galaxy called the Milky Way, we and the planet find ourselves. The Milky Way seen from Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Photo: Luc Perrot We don’t know how big the universe is, but observations and calculations have shown that the universe originated almost 13.8 billion years ago. Now a brand new study will shake this established truth. Twice as old? On July 7 this year, researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada published a study that challenges the leading cosmological model. Their findings suggest that the universe is twice as old as previously thought. – Our newly developed model extends the time for the formation of galaxies by several billion years, which makes the universe 26.7 billion years old, and not 13.7 as previously estimated. So says Professor Rajendra Gupta, lead author of the study. The James Webb telescope has made it possible to take spectacular pictures, like this one, of space. Photo: NASA / Reuters Per Barth Lilje, professor and head of department at the Department of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo (UiO), is, on the other hand, skeptical. – I am not particularly convinced at all, says Lilje to news. He is supported by colleague Hans Kristian Kamfjord Eriksen, professor of cosmology at UiO. – He (Gupta, editor’s note) pulls it off completely and gets headlines all over the world, says Eriksen. Mysterious stars and galaxies For years, astronomers and physicists have calculated the age of the universe by measuring the time that has passed since the “big bang”. One has also looked at the redshift of the light coming from the oldest stars. This meant that in 2021 the age of the universe could be estimated at around 13.8 billion years. Even so, scientists have been puzzled by the existence of stars that appear to be older than the universe. Galaxies have also been found that appear more developed than they should be, given the age of the universe, according to the University of Ottawa. The James Webb Telescope (JWST) has found stars and galaxies that some believe are too old for the universe to be “only” 13.8 billion years old. Photo: AP This is what has given rise to the idea that the universe may be older than people think, according to the Norwegian scientists. – Measurements have been made with JWST, and then galaxies have been found that look like they were formed very early, and are very mature. What one must have thought here is that if they look old, then the universe must be older, says Eriksen. Professor Per Barth Lilje at UiO is very skeptical of the new study which states that the universe is twice as old as previously thought. Photo: University of Oslo – He (Gupta, editor’s note) says that we have a very big problem today, i.e. galaxies seen with the James Webb telescope very shortly after what is believed to be the origin of the universe. I think he exaggerates how big the problem is, says Lilje at UiO. Nor do the alleged old stars attach any importance to Lilje. – This star that he claims is older than 13.7 billion years – there is no consensus on that at all, claims the professor. – Hard pressure Eriksen says the measurements in the study are very advanced. – To me, the study looks half-finished. It looks at one measurement that is difficult to make, and which has large uncertainties, and creates a theory to explain it, says Eriksen. Professor Hans Kristian Kamfjord Eriksen believes the new study has been blown out of proportion. Photo: University of Oslo He says that a good scientific theory should be as simple as possible and explain as much as possible with as few elements as possible. Eriksen believes the new study does the exact opposite. – There are at least 50 other observations that give a good picture, and they are now being put under severe pressure if we are to believe this new one. You therefore have the choice between 50 well-established observations, and one questionable one. I am skeptical. Mixing theories As Lilje sees it, Gupta has used old models that individually cannot explain what one sees of the universe, and put them in context with the standard model. – He puts two independent things into the standard model, and it is clear that you can make things fit well if you include other parameters. And I can’t see that it is anything other than what he does, says Lilje. He nevertheless emphasizes that the study has been published in what he calls a highly respected journal, and has undergone peer review. – So there must be something in it. It will be interesting to see what other researchers respond to this.
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Launches new theory about the universe – Norwegian experts skeptical – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
