Distant objects

Hey,

I have a question about very distant objects in the universe that I
keep reading about on the internet. It's been a while since I read
about relativity and such but if I remember correctly light always
travel at the speed of light relative any observer. So if we observe
something that is 12 billion lightyears away, the light must have taken
12 billion years to reach us. The only way for this to be true is if
the object was 12 billion lightyears away from us at the time the light
left that object, which means it was 12 billion lightyears away 12
billion years ago. Is this correct?
I'm asking this because I read about some very bright early galaxy or
similar object that was said to be 12 billion lightyears away. For this
to be possible the universe would have to be at least 12 billion years
old at the time the light left that object, would it not?
Assuming it couldn't have traveled away from us faster than the speed
of light and we started in the same place at the big bang.
That would make the current age of the universe at least 24 billion
years, but I have read it's estimated at much less than that..

Where did I go wrong? =)

thx,
/Erik

.

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