Redshifts and Distances

The table in the left panel gives approximate distances associated with redshifts. However, for large redshifts the distance to an object depends on the nature and evolution of the Universe itself. In particular, it depends on assumptions about the geometry of space and time, and how the rate of expansion has varied with time (see Chapter 27). Because they are related to directly measurable quantities, astronomers tend to talk about redshifts rather than distances when discussing very distant objects.