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Red Shift Explained
Red Shift Explained
Red Shift Explained
towards the red end of the spectrum as an object moves away from an observer. This
phenomenon is a consequence of the Doppler effect, which is the change in frequency
or wavelength of a wave as the source or observer moves relative to the other.
When an object in space, such as a star or galaxy, moves away from us, the light
waves it emits are stretched out, causing an increase in wavelength. This increase
in wavelength causes the light to shift towards the red end of the spectrum, which
is why it is called red shift. The amount of red shift is proportional to the speed
at which the object is moving away from us.
Red shift is a key concept in astronomy because it provides evidence for the
expansion of the universe. As galaxies move away from each other, the light they
emit is red shifted, indicating that the universe is expanding. The red shift also
provides a way to measure the distance to faraway objects in space, by using the
relationship between the amount of red shift and the object's distance from us.