Some Old Globular Clusters (and Stars) Inferring That the Universe Is Older Than Commonly Accepted

Abstract

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made startling discoveries regarding the early universe. It has revealed galaxies as soon as 300 million years after the Big Bang, challenging current galaxy formation models. Additionally, it has identified massive, bright galaxies in the young universe, contradicting the standard ΛCDM model's age estimate of 13.8 Gyr. This prompts a re-evaluation of galaxy formation and cosmological models. There is a strong tension between JWST high-redshift galaxy observations and Planck Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) satellite measurements. Even alternative cosmological models, including those incorporating dark matter–baryon interaction, f(R) gravity, and dynamical dark have failed to resolve this tension. One possible solution is that the Universe's age exceeds predictions by the ΛCDM model. The study challenges this by introducing a method based on blue straggler stars (BSs) within GCs, comparing ages with other models. The ages obtained are compared with those of other models to certify that they are equally valid. These values are comparable within the error ranges except for the clusters: NGC104, NGC 5634, IC 4499, NGC 6273 and NGC 4833, finding their respective ages to be between 14.7 and 21.6 Gyr, surpassing the commonly accepted age of the Universe. These results inferred an age for the Universe of around 26 Gyr, close to 26.7 Gyr. This value aligns that suggested by the cosmological model named Covarying Coupling Constants + TL (CCC+TL). Such a value is consistent with early universe observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The results of the present paper reinforces the advocating for a critical review of models encompassing dark mass, dark energy, and the dynamics of the Universe, particularly in explaining the presence of primitive massive galaxies, very old GCs, and very old and poor metallic stars.