One possible cause: Massive structures outside the observable universe exerting gravitational influence. These 93 some-odd billion light-years contain all of the quarks, quasars, stars, planets, nebulae, black holes…and everything else that we could possibly observe however, the observable universe only contains the light that has had time to reach us.Īnother theory deals with something called “ dark flow.” In 2008, astronomers discovered something very strange and unexpected-galactic clusters were all streaming in the same direction at immense speed, over two million miles per hour. That means that our observable universe is some 93 billion light-years wide (give or take a few light-years).
Cosmologists estimate that the oldest photons that we can observe have traveled a distance of 45-47 billion light-years since the Big Bang. The inflation of the universe slowed after the first initial burst, but since then, the rate of expansion has been steadily increasing due to the influence of dark energy.Įssentially, since its inception, the cosmos has been growing at an ever increasing rate. At this juncture, the universe itself was also expanding.
Very shortly thereafter, primordial light started shooting across the cosmos and spreading throughout the early universe. Roughly 13.75 billion years ago, our universe came into existence.
