If the universe is only 13.7 billion years old, how can we see objects that are 30 billion light-years away?
This question is essentially answered by Special Relativity. When talking about the distance of a moving object, we mean the spatial separation now, with the positions of us and the object specified at the current time. In an expanding universe, this distance is now larger than the speed of light times the light travel time due to the increase of separations between objects, as the universe expands. It does not mean that any object in the universe travels faster than light.
Related Questions
- The most distant objects are reported to be about 13 billion light years away, and the universe is said to be 14 billion light years away. What stops us seeing further?
- If the Universe is only 14 billion years old, how can we see objects that are now 47 billion light years away?
- If the universe is only 13.7 billion years old, how can we see objects that are 30 billion light-years away?
