Red Shifting
Red shifting is when light waves get stretched farther apart as an object moves away from you. We call it red shifting because the longer wavelengths of light are on the red end of ROYGBIV.
The more an object is red shifted, the faster it is moving. A small red shift would mean that an object is moving slowly away from us.
The more an object is red shifted, the faster it is moving. A small red shift would mean that an object is moving slowly away from us.
Blue Shifting
Blue shifting is the other side of the coin. Blue shifting is when light waves get scrunched together as an object is moving towards you. The reason it is called blue shifting is because blue is on the shorter end of the ROYGBIV wavelengths.
It's important to remember that whenever a star is in motion, it is both blue and red shifting at the same instant. It is all about your perspective (is it moving towards you or away?).
It's important to remember that whenever a star is in motion, it is both blue and red shifting at the same instant. It is all about your perspective (is it moving towards you or away?).
Just like with red shifting - the amount of blue shift is related to speed. The more an object is blue shifted, the faster it is moving towards you.
Both red shifting and blue shifting are useful to astronomers. With it, they can tell if an object is in motion, which direction it is moving, and how fast it is traveling. Not bad for just a bit of light.
Both red shifting and blue shifting are useful to astronomers. With it, they can tell if an object is in motion, which direction it is moving, and how fast it is traveling. Not bad for just a bit of light.