how are we 14 billion light years away from the edge of the universe if it is only 14 billion years old?

Question

that would mean we were at the center of the universe if the universe were expanding at the speed of light

Answer 1

Space doesnt have an edge. However, there is a limit to how far we can see. Since the universe is 13.7 billion years old, we can't see farther than 13.7 billion light years. That is the edge of the *observable* universe.

Answer 2

We're not 14 billion light years from the edge of the universe. That's simply the size of the "Observable Universe". The universe is 13.7 or so billion years old, so light has only had that time to reach us.
The actual Universe is believed to be far, far bigger than the Observable Universe. It's so big it's not even funny.

As for your point about being at the centre of expansion, try and imagine (or even actually experiment) a balloon with lots of dots on it. If you add more air to the balloon, the dots will become more and more spread out as the surface area of the balloon increases. If you look at the perspective from any one of the dots, it would appear that the dot is remaining stationary and all the other dots are rushing away. Of course, this is an illusion as it is the balloon itself that is expanding.

In the same way, space is expanding in all directions and there is no true "centre" to the expansion.

Answer 3

You are thinking like you are still here on Earth, were everything is flat and open, Space is round and expanding. The Big Bang happened 13.7 billion years ago and light has been traveling for that long. From one edge to the other of the known universe is 13.7 billion light years wide. We know this due to the Red Shift, or the amount of Red light that is given off by a distant object.

The other thing that is hard to understand is no one knows what the universe is expanding into. What we know right now it is expanding into nothing. When I mean nothing, I mean that no one may ever know because we do not have instruments that can see beyond the edge of the universe.

Check out the link and listen to Episode 28.

Answer 4

I have my reasons for believing the universe is no more than 6 billion light years in radius.
Everything in the universe started at the same point.
Consider,an entity observed at say a distance of 1 billion light years had to travel to that spot emit it's light and the light travel for 1 billion years to let you see it.
If you observe a galaxy at 13.5 billion light years distant,it had to get out there and emit it's light 13.5 billion years ago.
Poses some problems,wouldn't you say?

Answer 5

The easiest answer is that, if the universe is 14 billion years old; then 14 billion light years is how far light would have travelled in that time.

Answer 6

I have heard a radio interview where an scientist (astronomy) had an explanation to this question: the Big Bang has taken place everywhere in the space, not only in a certain point. It makes some sense...but still makes me wonder: why the space has some edge?

Answer 7

That's right! You win the Asimov prize!