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The Question
(Submitted March 28, 1997)
I understand that the cosmic particle horizon is located
about 20 billion light years away, in all directions, from me.
Light coming from objects located past the horizon cannot be
seen because the light has not had enough time to reach me
yet. But doesn't the cosmic particle horizon expand with the
expansion of the Universe. Therefore, light that I couldn't
see before can be seen in the future. Is this conclusion
sound?
The Answer
The cosmic particle horizon is related to the age of
the Universe. Its size certainly grows, but with the
age of the Universe, not with the expansion of the
Universe. As the expansion slows, we certainly would
see more in the future than in the past. But, of
course, the time scales for this to happen are very
large.
Jim Lochner
for Imagine the Universe!
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