Table of Contents
Can you travel faster than the expansion of the universe?
The restriction that “nothing can move faster than light” only applies to the motion of objects through space. The rate at which space itself expands — this speed-per-unit-distance — has no physical bounds on its upper limit.
Is the expansion of universe faster than the speed of light?
The quick answer is yes, the Universe appears to be expanding faster than the speed of light. By which we mean that if we measure how quickly the most distant galaxies appear to be moving away from us, that recession velocity exceeds the speed of light.
Are galaxies moving away from us faster than the speed of light?
In light of this, a more fair question to ask might be whether or not any galaxies in the visible universe (the part we can currently see) are moving away from us faster than the speed of light. Surprisingly, the answer is yes!
Did the Big Bang expand faster than the speed of light?
Some sources indicate that the big bang caused an expansion which traveled faster than the speed of light. How can this be? You ask a good question, one whose answer lies in the subtle difference between expansion that is faster than the speed of light and the propagation of information that is faster than the speed of light.
What is the relationship between the speed of light and expansion?
The expansion of the Universe is a “growth” of the spacetime itself; this spacetime may move faster than the speed of light relative to some other location, as long as the two locations can’t communicate with each other (or, in terms of light rays, these two parts of the Universe can’t see each other).
Is it possible to travel faster than the speed of light?
The latter is forbidden by fundamental physical laws, but the former is allowed; that is, as long as you are not transmitting any information (like a light pulse), you can make something happen at a speed that is faster than that of light.