What is true of galaxies at the larger redshifts compared to ones nearby?

Answer 1

Good question. The generally accepted answer is that the universe is expanding, and the expansion is carrying other galaxies away from us, with a speed proportional to their distance.

But "generally accepted answers" have a way of being overthrown by later discoveries, so keep your mind open about this. I'm sure that we will make other discoveries in the coming decades and centuries that will make our descendants wonder "How could they have been so stupid?"

Answer 2

Well, we can't really know the answer to "why", now can we ?

We do know that features in the spectrum of any source of electromagnetic

radiation are shifted toward longer wavelengths when the source is receding from

the observer, and that the effect grows as the speed of recession grows. Knowing

that, the redshift in the spectra of distant galaxies has been widely interpreted as

an indication that they are receding from us, and that the farther they already are

from us, the faster they're receding. This interpretation of the observed red shifts

is the basis for the whole widely accepted notion of the expansion of the universe,

which in turn motivated the development of the Big Bang theory.

But the whole thing is "just a theory". If you can find a better explanation for the

red shift of light, one that doesn't rely on the source receding from us, then the

whole idea of the expanding universe, the Big Bang, String Theory, and a lot more

is out the window, and your name goes up in lights around the world.

Answer 3

A red shift in astronomy signifies that the object is moving away from your point of reference. A blue shift means that the object is moving toward you.

Answer 4

They are travelling away from earth.