Seeing back to the Big Bang. How?

[SpaceBurger]

Can someone explain to me how this works?

If the big bang happened at point A .... say for example over here:

@ <------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And everything expanded from that point:

@ ------------------> *:;:':*

And light is traveling at the speed of light in the same direction ....

And ultimately we end up here:

@ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> O

Why do we think that if we had a telescope powerful enough, we could see back to the actual big bang, or even soon after it?

Light from that event has traveled past our current location long ago.

I love this topic but it is just so confusing ....

Thanks

 

[Captain_Salty]

we haven't expanded away from point A, it's more like point A itself expanded, which we are a part of. The first flash of light within the universe is still travelling around within the universe, but now expanded into microwave radiation

 

[centsworth_II]

The Big Bang didn't happen over here or over there, it happened right where you are sitting. At that time, everything in the universe was together in one spot. At the time of the Big Bang, where you are, where I am, where the farthest stars we can see are, all these places were in the same location, the location of the Big Bang.

 

[mark_d_s]

The Big Bang didn't happen over here or over there, it happened right where you are sitting. At that time, everything in the universe was together in one spot. At the time of the Big Bang, where you are, where I am, where the farthest stars we can see are, all these places were in the same location, the location of the Big Bang.

Allegedly!

What Happened Before the Big Bang...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bGx3UB-Slg

 

[SpaceBurger]

I challenge that theory!!!

As a completely clueless newbie here

Here's why - okay fine at one point we were all together. That doesnt mean the big bang originated right here.

That just means all our energy and matter were at the place it did originate.

You can't say 13 billion years later that we're geographically in the same location. Maybe we are playing semantics here but my point is this: We look to things that are "13.1 billion light years away". And we say theyre the oldest. SO there is some distance between us, and that light is 13.1 billion years old ....

Honestly i think the answer to my own question is that the item continues to emit light, so its not like the light has passed us by ... it continues to emit new light ....

 

[Captain_Salty]

That doesnt mean the big bang originated right here.

That just means all our energy and matter were at the place it did originate.

And all of empty space was just in this one small place too.

You can't say 13 billion years later that we're geographically in the same location.

And you can't say we're not. The location has grown and become less dense as a consequence. yes we can measure distance to objects but it doesn't tell us the geometry of the universe. SpeedFreek has an excellent link in his sig that might help you
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~charley/pape ... sSciAm.pdf

 

[adrenalynn]

Every place was right here. And ever here was every place. And every here was here.

 

[centsworth_II]

...We look to things that are "13.1 billion light years away". And we say theyre the oldest....

And someone living near one of those "13.1 billion light years away" things would look back at us and say that since we are that far away we are the oldest. It's all relative.

...the item continues to emit light, so its not like the light has passed us by ... it continues to emit new light ....

There is no "item" that represents the Big Bang. The Big Bang is now represented by the entire visible universe (at least). All points of the visible universe were in the same place at the time of the Big Bang.

 

[origin]

I challenge that theory!!!

As a completely clueless newbie here

Here's why - okay fine at one point we were all together. That doesnt mean the big bang originated right here.

That just means all our energy and matter were at the place it did originate.

You can't say 13 billion years later that we're geographically in the same location. Maybe we are playing semantics here but my point is this: We look to things that are "13.1 billion light years away". And we say theyre the oldest. SO there is some distance between us, and that light is 13.1 billion years old ....

Honestly i think the answer to my own question is that the item continues to emit light, so its not like the light has passed us by ... it continues to emit new light ....

how about this, no matter where you are in the universe you would be able to look in any direction and look at things 13.1 billion ly away.

 

[EarthlingX]

Recent discussion on the theme between Richard Dawkins and Neil deGrasse Tyson, with a couple of other diversions :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RExQFZzHXQ[/youtube]

richarddawkinsdotnet | October 20, 2010

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
( http://richarddawkins.net ) presents: "The Poetry of Science: Discussions of the Beauty of Science."

Two of science's luminaries converse on the beauty of science. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of NOVA and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins will explore the wonders of the Cosmos and of Life, its origins, its inspirations, and why science is not just an option, it is the only reality we possess.