GLOBULAR-CLUSTERS, HIPPARCOS, AND THE AGE OF THE GALAXY

We discuss the impact of the results from the recent Hipparcos astrome tric satellite on distance estimates of galactic globular clusters. Re calibrating the clusters not only implies a relatively small change in the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, and hence a rescaling of several estimates of the Hubble constant, but also leads to significan tly younger cluster ages. Although the data are not yet conclusive, th e results so far point to a likely resolution of the apparent paradox of a universe younger than its constituents, without requiring signifi cant modifications to simple cosmological models.