If the universe is 13.8 billion years old, how is the observable universe 46.5 billion light years across?

Question

If the universe is 13.8 billion years old, how is the observable universe 46.5 billion light years across?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Lightyear is a measurement of distance. It’s how long light can travel in one year. One light year is 5.879 × 10^12 miles. It’s an estimate of how large the universe is, not how old it is.