The Universe’s oldest star is older than the entire universe
HD 140283 is a subgiant star estimated to be 14.46 billion years old. That may raise an eyebrow or two among those who recall the universe ’s estimated age of 13.77 billion years. This star, commonly referred to as the Methuselah star, seems to be older than the cosmos itself. At times, such an uncommon discovery causes us to reconsider our understanding of the cosmos and typically results in a revolution in our cosmological theories. That is not the case at the moment. To understand why we must examine how we calculate the age of a star of this kind. The majority of stars grow in a predictable manner. A protostar gravitationally collapses, causing hydrogen to fuse in its core and transforming it into a true star. The star enters what is known as the main sequence, where it remains a stable star for billions of years (depending on its size). As it depletes its hydrogen, it transitions to a red giant or comparable stage before exploding as a supernova/white dwarf/etc., dep...