Astronomy - Galaxy 30 Billion Light Years Away

[Barquentine]

I cannot get my head round an article today saying they've found a galaxy that's 30 billion light years away. If the universe started 13.5 billion years ago and, say that's when light set out on its way to us - how can it be further away than the time it's taken for its image to get here? Somebody explained that this is because the universe is expanding, so how can we see something that's further away than the time taken for its light to reach us? I can't seem to understand this at all. Please help!!

[ludwig]

I just find the concept of the distance 30 billion light years difficult to grasp. There's nothing in my everyday experience I can relate it to.

Light travels pretty fast, and 30 billion years is a long time.

Facinating stuff.

[Hypognosis]

I still don't like this business about the "sudden, very rapid expansion phase". It reeks of fudge factor and I vaguey recall something about it being to do with a specific problem they had getting their equations/extrapolations to work out in the way they wanted.

All way over my head, of course but I always take that bit with a pinch of salt and eagerly await the next round of discoveries.

[jomifl]

Hypo, when space /time as we know it doesn't exist anything is possible.

[Hypognosis]

@mushroom

what gets me about the religious types is how insecure they are about having just one chapter of their book proved to be invalid, as if it causes the whole of the rest of their faith to unravel.

Gawd help us if the archaeologists start coming up with discoveries which prove the bible is shaky on its recording of historical events as well... ;-)

[Hypognosis]

Hi Jom

now that's just cheating

;-)