An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The act or instance of looking.

Look, from W.Gmc. *lokjan (cf. O.S. lokon, M.Du. loeken, O.H.G. luogen, Ger. dialectal lugen "to look out"), of unknown origin.

Negâh "look," from Mid.Pers. nikâh "look, glance, observation;" Proto-Iranian *ni-kas- "to look down," from ni- "down," → ni- (PIE), + *kas- "to look, appear;" cf. Av. nikā-, nikāta- (in the name of the 15-th nask) "that which is observed," ākas- "to look;" Mid.Pers. âkâh, Mod.Pers. âgâh "aware, knowing;" Ossetic kast/kaesyn "to look;" Skt. kāś- "to become visible, appear."

The time that has elapsed since the light was emitted from a distant object (of → redshift z). Because → light moves at a → constant  → speed, it takes a finite time to travel from distant objects. Hence, we "see" distant objects at a point in time in their past. In other words, look-back time is the difference between the age of the Universe now and the age of the Universe at the time the photons were emitted from the object. See also → comoving distance.

→ look; → back; → time.

Zamân, → time; negâh, → look; gozašté "past, passed" (from gozaštan "to pass, proceed, go on," variant gozâštan "to put, to place, let, allow;" Mid.Pers. widardan, widâštan "to pass, to let pass (by);" O.Pers. vitar- "to pass across," viyatarayam "I put across;" Av. vi-tar- "to pass across," from vi- "apart, away from" (O.Pers. viy- "apart, away;" Av. vi- "apart, away;" cf. Skt. vi- "apart, asunder, away, out;" L. vitare "to avoid, turn aside") + O.Pers./Av. tar- "to cross over").