This thread is more about cosmology than philosophy, but since the two are linked, I'm hoping this is the most appropriate forum and that there will be some readers who take an interest.
So my observations are these: The age of the universe is thought to be about 13.8 billion years old, and we can actually observe some quasars that are estimated to be nearly 13 billion years old and are the oldest and the most distant directly observable objects in the universe. It is well known that the universe is expanding and that the light we see from distant galaxies and quasars is coming from billions of years away. From this, it follows that the universe was much more compact and distances between objects were much smaller in the distant past. I think most cosmologists and physicists agree with these observations.
My question is this: If the early universe was much smaller in the distant past, why is it that the farther we look out into space, the farther we see in time? Put another way, if the universe is expanding, then at some point shouldn’t the farther distances in time become closer in space? I’ve tried to read a lot about cosmology, but I admit I am a real novice. I’ve never seen this question posed in this way in all my readings. Can anyone point me to a book or article that addresses this question?