How old is the universe? This engrossing book recounts how scientists have achieved the definitive answer to one of the great scientific mysteries of our time. Research astronomer John Gribbin tells the sto r y of the struggle to determine the age of the universe a nd offers an insider's view of the thrilling breakthrough of the 1990s, when Hubble Space Telescope data reveale How old is the universe? This engrossing book recounts how scientists have achieved the definitive answer to one of the great scientific mysteries of our time. Research astronomer John Gribbin tells the sto r y of the struggle to determine the age of the universe a nd offers an insider's view of the thrilling breakthrough of the 1990s, when Hubble Space Telescope data revealed that the universe is between 13 a nd 16 billion years old—older by at least one billion years than the oldest stars.