What is the approximate upper limit for the age of any observable star based on current cosmological models?
Answer
13.8 billion years
The age of any star or stellar system must logically be constrained by the age of the cosmos itself, as stars cannot predate the universe from which they originated. Current cosmological understanding, derived from observations like the cosmic microwave background radiation and measurements of the universe's expansion rate, establishes the age of the cosmos at approximately 13.8 billion years. This figure serves as an absolute upper boundary; if stellar models derived an age significantly exceeding this value, it would indicate a substantial flaw in the fundamental physics underpinning either stellar evolution or cosmology.
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