The Universe can outrun light without breaking Einstein’s rules
The observable universe appears larger than its age in light-years because space itself expands, allowing distant regions to move away from us faster than the speed of light. This phenomenon does not violate Einstein's theory of relativity, which only limits movement through space, not the expansion of space itself.
An expanding universe makes measuring distance more complicated because space does not remain fixed while light travels through it. Galaxies continue to emit light, but that light may spend billions of years crossing the cosmos before reaching us. During that journey, the universe keeps expanding, increasing the average separation between galaxies (yes, I know that sometimes galaxies can collide, but we're talking on average, at big scales here).
Get the full story
Sign up for Headlinne to unlock AI insights, political bias analysis, and your personalized news feed.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in