Why can we see distant galaxies?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Light travels vast distances
They're extremely bright — Wrong. Galaxies contain billions of stars, but they're faint due to immense distances. We see them because light travels billions of light-years.
Light travels vast distances ✓ — Correct! Light travels at ~300,000 km/s. Though distances are vast (millions to billions of light-years), light eventually reaches us—photons emitted billions of years ago. Looking at distant galaxies = looking back in time! Hubble Deep Field captured galaxies 13+ billion light-years away—seeing them as they were near universe's beginning. Light is universe's messenger!
Space magnifies their images — Wrong. Gravitational lensing can magnify, but we see distant galaxies primarily because light travels through space reaching our telescopes.
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