The Book of Jubilees shows us the pattern: it was exactly fifty jubilees, 2450 years, from creation to the entry into the promised land. And this motif was well caught by Ussher. This is why his figure of 4004 BC for creation was so important to him. By his time it was known that Jesus was born in 4 BC or earlier, since Herod died in that year. His date for creation meant that there were exactly 4000 years from creation to Christ. Moreover, he calculated, Solomon’s temple was completed in the year 3000 from creation, so that there were exactly 1000 years from the temple to Christ, who was the fulfilment of the temple.
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Although he was hardly a scientist at all, properly speaking, in this aspect of his work he was scientific. From his biblical figures he had determined that creation took place in the year 4004 BC. But how did he know the month and the day? He was sure that it was in the autumn, probably because the Jewish New Year falls at that time. He knew it was a Sunday, for it was the first day of the week according to Genesis. He looked in the ‘astronomical tables’ for the autumnal equinox of the year 4004 BC, and the first Sunday after the equinox was 23rd October. It was on that day that light was created, the first act of creation. All this was quite scientific. The tables used were almost certainly the Rudolfian tables of Kepler and Brahe, and Ussher’s use of them was very accurate, within half a day.
I'm no scientist, either, but I'm guessing the real age of our planet is probably closer to a Day of Brahma (4.32 billion years) than 6000 years, although I hear the jury's still out on science.
<exits singing, Old now is earth and none may count her days>
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