© 2026

For assistance accessing the Online Public File for KAXE or KBXE, please contact: Steve Neu, IT Engineer, at 800-662-5799.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

he Hubble Constant? The Answer Is 42

The preliminary results of a new measurement of the so-called Hubble Constant, taken by radio telescopic means at Cambridge University in England is 42. The Hubble Constant determines the speed at which galaxies are receding from each other, and thus tells us the age of the universe from the time of the Big Bang. It so happens that Douglas Adams, in the book and radio series A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in 1978 had a massive computer calculate the meaning of life and the answer was: 42.

Copyright 1996 NPR

Creative Commons License
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to slightly shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.