This is one of my favorite (but also the most daunting) things about space. It is so awesome (and bizarre) that we can essentially observe the past. In this case, the event occurred sometime around when humans were figuring out how to make baskets[1].
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_prehistory
No, the averages ignore input order. Reality is order dependent.
The past is the only thing we can observe!
The info has to take time to travel.
Would the statement stand if it were updated to say, "The (presentMoment - latency) is the only thing we can observe"?
Perhaps "experience" instead of "observe" would have fit better - although, experience by definition is only in the present, otherwise it would be a memory.
Then a counter argument might be: everything is memory, even the current moment being experienced. I suppose that sliver of "now" might be infinitesmal, approaching zero..
In situations on the universal scale, it is incredible to know that no matter what, we will only be able to see the distant past (thousands to millions of years) for most other celestial bodies.