30/10/2025
⭐ The Methuselah Star Seems Older Than the Universe – and We Can’t Fully Explain Why
Just 190 light-years from Earth, HD 140283 — known as the Methuselah star — has puzzled astronomers for decades. Its properties suggest it formed 14.5 billion years ago, yet the universe itself is only 13.8 billion years old.
If true, that would mean this ancient star existed before the Big Bang — which, of course, is impossible. Metal-poor and racing through space at over 800,000 miles per hour (1.29 million km/h), the Methuselah star is a relic from the earliest days of the Milky Way, likely born shortly after the first heavy elements appeared.
Using precise distance data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers calculated its brightness and modeled its age based on its temperature, composition, and nuclear fusion rate — leading to an age estimate that defies the cosmic timeline.
But here’s the nuance: more recent analyses suggest the mystery might not be quite so paradoxical. The age estimate carries a ±800 million-year margin of error, meaning the star’s true age could fall safely within the universe’s 13.8-billion-year lifetime. The apparent contradiction likely comes from uncertainties in stellar modeling or observational limits, rather than any flaw in our understanding of cosmology. Still, HD 140283 sits at the very edge of what seems possible — a humbling reminder that even with modern telescopes and decades of data, the universe still keeps some of its oldest secrets close.
Learn more:
◾ Gundy, Cheryl S. "Oldest Known Star Gets a Birthdate Update." Penn State Eberly College of Science, 6 Mar. 2013.
◾ Siegel, Ethan. "Is the 'Methuselah Star' Really Older Than the Universe?" Big Think, 30 May 2024.
📸 Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild and F. Summers (STScI)
