The age of the universe

An overview of the current controversy on the age of the universe is presented. It is shown that the age of the oldest star, globular clusters, yields an age estimate of approximately 14 {+-} 2 {+-} 2 Gyr (where the first {+-} is statistical and the second systematic, and the two should {ital not} be added in quadrature), with a firm lower bound of {ge} 10 Gyr. It is shown how radioactive dating, nucleocosmochronology, also yields a firm lower bound of {approx_gt} 10 Gyr. The currently favored values for the Hubble constant, when converted to ages using a cosmological model with zero cosmological constant, are shown {ital not} to be in conflict with statistical and systematic uncertainties at the present time when one takes both into account, even for critical density universes. 25 refs. , 3 figs., 1 tab