when telescopes look back at the start of the universe ( approx 13 billion years ) are we looking at ourselves ( or what would become the milkyway ) back then as well ?

Question

when telescopes look back at the start of the universe ( approx 13 billion years ) are we looking at ourselves ( or what would become the milkyway ) back then as well ?

In: Physics

Answer 1

No. You can only look back at the start of the universe by looking at things that are really far away – in order to see something that is 13 billion years old, you need to look at light that has traveled for 13 billion years.