The most accepted explanation by the scientific community regarding the comparison of the speed of the expansion of the universe and the speed of light is that the expansion of the universe is not limited by the speed of light. This concept is known as the "metric expansion of space."
According to our current understanding based on observations and the theory of general relativity, the fabric of space itself is expanding. It means that the distances between galaxies are increasing over time, leading to the expansion of the universe. However, this expansion does not involve objects moving through space but rather the stretching of space itself.
The expansion of the universe can be described by a parameter called the Hubble constant (Hâ‚€), which represents the rate at which the universe is expanding. The current best estimate for the Hubble constant is approximately 67.4 kilometers per second per megaparsec (km/s/Mpc). This means that for every megaparsec of distance between two objects, the expansion of the universe causes the distance between them to increase by 67.4 km/s.
Importantly, this expansion is not constrained by the speed of light. It means that the recessional velocity of distant galaxies can exceed the speed of light, as the expansion itself is happening at the cosmological scale, involving the stretching of space between objects.
However, it's worth noting that the expansion of the universe does not violate the principle of special relativity, which states that no object with mass can reach or exceed the speed of light within space. The expansion of space itself is a different phenomenon, and it is the metric of space that is changing rather than objects moving through space.
It's essential to understand that our understanding of the universe's expansion is based on the current knowledge and observational data available, and further research and observations may refine our understanding in the future.