The concept you're referring to is known as "cosmological redshift" and can lead to seemingly contradictory distances and ages. It's important to understand that the expansion of the universe plays a crucial role in these observations.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or other telescopes can indeed observe galaxies that appear to be located at distances greater than the current age of the universe. This is due to the phenomenon of cosmological redshift, which causes the light emitted by distant galaxies to stretch and shift towards longer wavelengths as it travels through the expanding universe.
As the universe expands, the space between galaxies also stretches, causing the wavelengths of light to lengthen. This is similar to how the pitch of a sound wave lowers as the source moves away from you. The stretching of light waves results in a shift towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum, hence the term "redshift."
The extent of the redshift depends on the relative distance between the observer and the source. In the case of extremely distant galaxies, their light has to travel through expanding space for billions of years to reach us. During this journey, the universe continues to expand, causing the light to undergo significant redshift.
When astronomers observe a galaxy with a redshift that corresponds to a distance of, for example, 32 billion light years, it means that the light we receive from that galaxy has traveled for 32 billion years since it was emitted. However, during that time, the universe has been expanding, and the galaxy was actually much closer when it emitted that light.
The current age of the universe, estimated to be around 13.7 billion years, represents the time since the Big Bang. However, due to the expansion of space, light from distant galaxies can travel a much longer distance and reach us, even though the light was emitted when the universe was younger.
In summary, the observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope and other instruments that detect galaxies beyond the age of the universe are possible due to the effects of cosmological redshift, which accounts for the expansion of space during the light's journey. These observations provide valuable insights into the early universe and the dynamics of cosmic expansion.