https://quizlet.com/437068756/chapter-1-questions-flash-cards C. based upon the studies of microwave background radiation of the cosmos. Scientists estimate the age of the universe by measuring its oldest light. Currently, the most accurate ages of Earth come from dating _____. They based this age on the best image of the infant universe.. The best estimates of Earth's age are obtained by calculating the time required for development of the observed lead isotopes in Earth's oldest lead ores. Astronomers estimate the age of the universe in two ways: 1) by looking for the oldest stars and 2) by measuring the rate of expansion of the universe and extrapolating back to the Big Bang just as crime detectives can trace the origin of a bullet from the holes in a wall.Dec 21 2012. Ancient light from the Big Bang has revealed a precise new estimate for the universe's age: 13.77 billion years, give or take 40 million years. Illustration of the expansion of the Universe. The new research adds a fresh twist to an ongoing debate in the astrophysics community. only have been created during the Big Bang: hydrogen and helium. Until recently, the best estimates ranged from 65 km/sec/Megaparsec to 80 km/sec/Megaparsec, with the best value being about 72 km/sec/Megaparsec. If the universe is expanding faster now than it was billions of years ago, our motion away from the distant supernovae has sped up since the explosion occurred, sweeping us farther away from them. The light of the explosion has to travel a greater distance to reach us than if the expansion rate were constant. Big Bang scientists recently used a new method to estimate the universes age.