Hello Greg: If our galaxy formed 6,000 years ago, we could still receive light emitted from distant parts of the universe 10,15 or 20 billion years ago, provided the universe existed at that time. We already receive light in the form of microwaves from the time that the universe was 300,000 years old, according to physics theory, but we do not know the age of the universe within a factor of two. The Bubble the Hubble can see depends on the age of the universe, not the age of our galaxy. Of course that statement contains an assumption that the size of the universe is larger than the Hubble Bubble. It is possible that the entire universe is smaller than the Hubble Bubble. In that case the Hubble may be looking at our own galaxy some billions of years ago, assuming that it existed then. I do not know of any scientific reason that proves that the universe must be larger than the Hubble Bubble. Greg: Hello Yanniru: Our world is some 4 Billion Years old, so at least 4 Billion Years worth of Light has already passed this point in the expansion of the Universe. So no matter how far we can see, the expansion of the Light Bubble from the initial point of the Big-Bang would be at least 3,999,700,000 Light Years after the point of "last scatter". If galaxy formation began immediately after "last scatter" the youngest thing we can see is 4 Billion Years old. If we are looking at a galaxy 4 Billion Years old from 10 Billion Light Years away the Light Bubble is really 14 Billon Light Years from the Initial Point and we are 10 Billion Light Years out. This doesn't even consider the fact that the matter we are formed from didn't expand at the speed of Light. So inward of our place in the Universe anything that is farther then 4 Billion Light Years away, but younger then 4 Billion years old would be invisible. Is everything inward from us older then us? Our Galaxy is only 30,000 Light Years across. With 6 Billion Light Years of Space to consider, that is room for alot of matter that might not have become incandescent within the last 4 Billion years. If there is at least 4 Billion Light Years of space past us anything that is younger then it is far away outward would also be invisible. A galaxy 3 Billion Light Years out from us but only 2 Billion Years old would not become visible for a billion years yet. Again a Billion Light Years of Space can hold a lot of Galaxies 30,000 Light Years across. :o) Since we are 4 Billion years old wouldn't the microwave radiation from the Universe that was 300,000 years old be 3,999,700,000 Light Years past us by now? How can we still be picking it up?

• Re: The inquiring mind wants to Know - YANNIRU/">YANNIRU - May 25, 1999 - 13:02 UTC
  • Re: The inquiring mind wants to Know - Greg_Armel/">Greg Armel - May 26, 1999 - 06:21 UTC
    • Re: The inquiring mind wants to Know - yanniru/">yanniru - May 26, 1999 - 12:15 UTC
      • Re: The inquiring mind wants to Know - Greg_Armel/">Greg Armel - May 27, 1999 - 03:35 UTC