The Universe can outrun light without breaking Einstein’s rules

The universe is about 13.77 billion years old, yet its observable edge stretches roughly 45 billion light-years away — because space itself can expand faster than light without breaking Einstein's rules. Distant galaxies aren't physically speeding away; the space between us is growing. Dark energy accelerates this expansion, meaning that in about 100 billion years, every galaxy beyond our Local Group will vanish from view forever.