<p>I keep running into this paradox, and the answers I get seem to be the same and not satisfying.</p>
<p>Most sites say the universe is about 13 billion years old, but we can see objects farther away, like 50 billion light years.  How is this possible?  The answer is usually along the lines of &quot;the universe is expanding, so the objects that were 13 billion light years away are now farther away.&quot;</p>
<p>But, the light from those sources started its journey 13 billion light years ago.  The fact that the universe has expanded since then seems illogical, as the light did not start its journey 50 billion years ago.</p>
<p>How is this reconciled?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-17T19:46:44.673Z
Many duplicates I think. Is this one? https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/39367/if-an-object-1-billion-light-years-away-emits-light-does-it-take-more-than-1-bi
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-17T20:13:37.247Z
Also https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/45467/is-quasar-2m1310-1714-outside-the-observable-universe and particularly https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/55879/how-do-we-work-out-the-light-travel-time-on-a-cosmic-scale
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-18T06:09:45.503Z
From https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/25807/16685 "something that is now 46 billion light years away was about 42 million light years away when the light was emitted"
PM 2Ring
<observable-universe><fate-of-universe>
How can the universe be 13 billion years old, but objects are seen farther away than that?
eSurfsnake
# How can the universe be 13 billion years old, but objects are seen farther away than that?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-03-17)

I keep running into this paradox, and the answers I get seem to be the same and not satisfying.

Most sites say the universe is about 13 billion years old, but we can see objects farther away, like 50 billion light years. How is this possible? The answer is usually along the lines of "the universe is expanding, so the objects that were 13 billion light years away are now farther away."

But, the light from those sources started its journey 13 billion light years ago. The fact that the universe has expanded since then seems illogical, as the light did not start its journey 50 billion years ago.

How is this reconciled?

**Tags:** observable-universe, fate-of-universe
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Many duplicates I think. Is this one? https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/39367/if-an-object-1-billion-light-years-away-emits-light-does-it-take-more-than-1-bi  
> **username_1**: Also https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/45467/is-quasar-2m1310-1714-outside-the-observable-universe and particularly https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/55879/how-do-we-work-out-the-light-travel-time-on-a-cosmic-scale  
> **username_2**: From https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/25807/16685 "something that is now 46 billion light years away was about 42 million light years away when the light was emitted"  

---

## 0 answers

