If you said “with the Big Bang,” congratulations: that was our best answer as of ~1979. Here’s what we’ve learned in all the time since.

  • The universe is expanding faster than the speed of light. So what exists between us and distant objects is the future distance between us and distant objects.

    Imagine chasing a balloon floating north on a long airport treadmill pulling you south. It’s faster than you could ever hope to run, so the distance between you and the balloon will only ever grow.

    This is a sort of analogous metaphor for what would happen if you tried to go to distant objects.