An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The → observable region of the → Universe, limited in extent by the distance → light has traveled during the time elapsed since the beginning of the Universe (→ Big Bang). No signal from the objects lying beyond the cosmic horizon can be received because light has not yet had enough time to travel the distance. The cosmic horizon can be defined in two ways:

1. The size of the → observable Universe as derived from ct, where c is the → speed of light and t is the → age of the Universe, 13.8 billion years, hence 13.8 billion → light-years.
   

2. The → comoving distance. The distance given above corresponds to the size Universe had 13.8 billion years ago. Since then the Universe has been growing at a rate of 3.52c. Therefore,
   the current radius of the observable Universe is about 48 × 10⁹ light-years.
   Same as → particle horizon,
   → Hubble distance, → Hubble radius, and → Hubble length. See also → sound horizon.

See also: → cosmic; → horizon.