re: No matter what direction we point a telescope, we always look toward the Big Bang - why?

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Three things...

1. In terms of space-time distance IS time because both are defined by light and it's constant speed. We see things how they were. When you look at the sun you are seeing how it was 8 minutes ago.

2. We don't know if there is an edge to the universe and if there is one where it is. If we assume there is an edge, we don't know where it is because of the passage of time (and distance) by which that light traveled. So if you wait a million years, you add a million years of light but at the same time space is inflating at the speed of light (maybe more). So you will never ever see the edge because the edge is moving away from you at the same rate the light is coming back to you. The only way we've gotten to 13.8 billion years is through our own technology being able to see light at various wavelengths. We don't know if there's more beyond that because either the light hasn't made it to us yet, or we don't have the capability to see that wavelength.

3. Since we don't know where the edge is, we don't know if we are in the middle, we only know we can see a fixed radius out. If you're standing somewhere in a completely dark 20,000 sqft warehouse and your flashlight sucks and only illuminates 10 feet in radius, do you know if you are in the middle or not? No, only if you find a wall do you know and we can't find the wall (the edge of the universe).

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Age may only be a number, but when it comes to the age of the universe, it's a pretty important one. According to research, the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old. How did scientists determine how many candles to put on the universe's birthday cake? They can determine the age of the universe using two different methods: by studying the oldest objects within the universe and measuring how fast it is expanding.

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