# Is the observable universe an absolute? [closed]

A short summary of a question difficult to easily describe:

Assume objects from the begining of the universe are at a fixed distance at T equals 0 when the universe is created. These objects become further away from us as the universe expands, light from the beginning of the universe comes from a fixed distance away from us.

As the universe expands this distance increases and such the time it takes information to get to us increases along with it.

Because of this expansion matter and energy at the beginning universe would take a greater time to reach us than the age of the universe.

As such the cosmic background radiation we observe now is from a closer point than the age of the universe times c at t=0

As the universe grows older we are able to see more of it and the point at which we see the CMBR gets further away from us.

My main question is this distance the same as for an unexpanding universe as it is for an expanding universe?

The same question as above in an expanded form:

My ambiguous question is that if the universe was not expanding then the particle horizon or boundary would simply be the age of the universe multiplied by the speed of light based on einsteins premise. However as is suggested that the universe is expanding then the distance that information from the big bang can reach us is from matter and energy that was from a point that was much closer to us than that in a non expanding universe.

Since the universe is said to expand does this mean that as a result of the expansion there is a limit to the closeness of the the matter because of its expansion and is the boundary as is in the case of a non expanding universe an absolute in determining the closeness?

And the difference between that point is the age of the universe multiplied by the rate of expansion of it?

What I mean by absolute is that factoring in the expansion, how could information from a closer point reach us if this absolute did not exist because the information would not have had the time to reach us if the boundary was greater than the age of the universe times $c$.

## closed as unclear what you're asking by Norbert Schuch, user12029, user36790, John Rennie, heatherSep 18 '16 at 18:52

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• @CountTo10 thankyou. No I Know its not easy and im not sure my mental mechanics are valid but if it helps objects from the begining of the universe are at a fixed distance at T equals 0 when the universe is created. These objects become further away from us as the universe expands light from the beginning of the universe comes from a fixed distance away from us. As the universe expands this distance increases and such the time it takes information to get to us increases along with it. My main question is this limit the same as for an unexpanding universe as it is for an expanding universe – 8Mad0Manc8 Sep 15 '16 at 22:39
• I have a big mouth but i my size is not reflected in it. There is always a larger fish!! – 8Mad0Manc8 Sep 15 '16 at 22:58
• "The time it takes for information to get to us increases as the universe expands. Is this limit the same in an expanding universe as in an unexpanding universe?" - what limit? – user12029 Sep 15 '16 at 23:39
• @NeuroFuzzy there is no limit in the expansion of the universe as far as I can percieve. The limit I am suggesting is the particle horizon in an non expanding universe and expanding universe the same. Information beyond this boundary is unobservable to us. In an expanding universe the light still has to overcome this space as its expanding and takes more time to breach this distance. But regardless of an expanding universe there must still be a limit on where the particle horizon is even though the universe is expanding and as such it should limit the closeness of info we can see regardless. – 8Mad0Manc8 Sep 17 '16 at 21:23
• @NueroFuzzy and hopefully what iam suggesting is in both cases it is simply the age of the universe x by the speed of light bearing in mind the recombination of particles light we observe from this comes closer to us but now the matter from which it came is at the boundary or particle horizon because if it wasn't and was beyond it we couldn't observe it. – 8Mad0Manc8 Sep 17 '16 at 21:27