The main yardstick by which galactic distances are measured is based on the determination of the "absolute magnitude" of various star types, galaxies, and quasars. The "apparent magnitude," or actual brightness of the object is compared with its assumed "absolute magnitude" and a distance is derived. Moreover, evolutionary astronomers rely on a parameter known as the Hubble constant which is considered to relate the redshift of an object to its distance. This constant assumes that redshifts are mainly Doppler effects, and that its reciprocal, in conjunction with other constants (e.g., the cosmological constant L and the deceleration parameter qo), gives the age of the universe. With the abandonment of the idea that redshifts are purely Doppler effects, the Hubble constant is discredited and attempts at deriving the age of the universe based on redshifts are shown to be of no consequence in the real world.