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A Question About the Location of the Center of the Big Bang

-- David | September 20, 2020

Diagram depicting the major milestones in the evolution of the Universe since the Big Bang

Question:

Thank you in advance. I’ve seen shows that said they were looking at “Rudimentary” or “Simple” galaxies shortly after the big bang (i.e. Abell 383)? Am I correct in that? If so, how can that be? Which direction are they from us (closer to big bang origin or further away)? I think it’s impossible either way, and these galaxies would have to be newly formed in cosmic years, (at least at the point we saw them).
1: If closer to Big Bang: Nothing moves faster than light, especially not the earth. The light from that galaxy would be much further away from BB than the earth (past us).
2: If further than earth from Big Bang: Being it would have passed our point in space, so long ago, how would we be able to see light from it? It’s not as if the light waited for us to see it? I guess it’s possible if we can see further away, but wouldn’t anything that has gone so far past the Milky Way’s position in space, be a fully formed galaxy at the point they hit our or any area past us?

-- David

Answer:

It is a common misconception that the Big Bang started at a specific point in space. This question has been addressed in this blog in the past (search for “big bang”). Specifically, the answer to the question “Where is the Center of the Big Bang?” provides some details regarding how the Big Bang was not an explosion which radiated from a point but rather an expansion of all points from all other points in the Universe.

-- Jeff Mangum

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