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to the Big Bang theory, which most modern astronomers accept as
the best method of explaining the origin of everything, the Universe
is 13.7 billion years old. Scientists arrived at this conclusion
by using very powerful telescopes to look at galaxies and galaxy xlusters at the farthest observable distances.
They are so far away, it takes
a very long time for their light to reach Earth.
Thus, what we see when we look that far away looks to us just
the way it did long ago. By calculating how far
away these objects are, scientists can come up with a pretty accurate
value for the age of the universe.
The International Planetarium Society has made a statement endorsing the scientific interpretation of the age and origin of the universe complete with additional resource references. The University of Maine Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium recommends that as the most responsible and balanced summary of the facts.
These Other organizations also have assessments of the state of the question:
The American Astronomical Society; On the Teaching of the History of the Universe
and ; An Ancient Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale of Cosmic Time (pdf booklet)
The American Physical Society has several position statements including one on creationism education.
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