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Most of the more distant galaxies appear to be red-shifted, indicating that they may be moving away from us. (Some, like the Andromeda galaxy, are blue-shifted, indicating that they are moving toward us. In fact, the Andromeda galaxy will probably collide with the Milky Way in about 4 billion years or so. )

Because distant galaxies in every direction are red-shifted, many scientists speculate that the universe itself is expanding, and carrying those distant galaxies away. The further away they are, the faster they seem to be moving, which reinforces the "universal expansion" concept.

Given that the entire field of astrophysics is less than 150 years old, I suspect that there may be more going on than we currently believe, and that our descendants six generations hence will wonder "What were they thinking?" So keep your minds open, and don't think that there isn't anything new to be learned.

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If we observe a Doppler blue shift from a star the star must be a?

In that case, the star must be approaching us.


Who discovered blue shift?

The blue shift phenomenon was discovered by the American astronomer Edwin Hubble in the 1920s. He observed that the light from distant galaxies appeared shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum, indicating that these galaxies were moving away from us. This discovery provided crucial evidence for the expansion of the universe.


What is red shift and blue shift why are these effects useful in the study of the universe?

Red shift occurs when an object is moving away from us and blue shift is the opposite. This is important because it has been observed that most things in our universe are red shifted, and thus, moving away from us. In fact, it has been calculated that the way these objects are moving (th direction of them) points to the fact that they were all in a centralized point and are all moving away from it--as if an explosion created the universe. This theory of creation is called the Big Bang Theory by the way.


How is the red shift and blue shift related to the big bang theory?

If a galaxy is red-shifted, the distance us and that galaxy is increasing. If it is blue-shifted, the distance is decreasing. If the galaxies in our Universe were random in their velocities relative to us, about half of them would be red-shifted and about half would be blue-shifted; and the distance between us and another galaxy would have no effect on the ratio. But that's not what we see. All galaxies outside our Local Cluster are red-shifted, and we find that the greater the distance between us and a galaxy, the greater the red shift. That the size of the red shift depends on the distance is isotopic in all directions, meaning the distance between us and all other galaxies is increasing at the same ratio based on distance from us. The BEST explanation of this undeniable fact is that, at some time, space itself (NOT the matter, but space) began to expand, taking matter along for the "ride." IF that hypothesis is correct, we would observe, not only red-shift in all distant galaxies, but other effects. We do indeed see the latter, and exactly as predicted by the Big Bang.


Can a red shift and a blue shift exist on the same object at the same time?

No, red shift and blue shift are opposite phenomena caused by the Doppler effect. Red shift occurs when an object is moving away from the observer, while blue shift occurs when an object is moving towards the observer. It is not possible for an object to exhibit both red shift and blue shift simultaneously.

Related Questions

Where is the edge of universe?

the universe is infinite, proven by the continuing blue shift


How does blue and red shift help us understand the changes of the universe?

Red shift has confirmed the expansion of universe. Both red and blue shift at the edges of the sun has confirmed the spin of sun..


Why are red shift and blue shift effects useful in the study of the universe?

Red shift means that other objects in the universe are moving away and blue shift means they are moving toward you. This helps to tell where these objects came from, and this knowledge helps predict where they are going to.


If we observe a Doppler blue shift from a star the star must be a?

In that case, the star must be approaching us.


What did hubble discover as a result of studying red shift of distant galaxies?

that the universe was in 1904 expanding. this was due to the lack of blue shift, therefor it can be deduced that the red shift in orrcuring within the galaxy.


What does a shift toward the blue end of the spectrum mean?

A shift toward the blue end of the spectrum means that the light being observed has a higher frequency and shorter wavelength compared to light at the red end of the spectrum. This shift is known as "blue shift" and is commonly seen in scenarios where the light source is moving closer to the observer, such as with objects moving towards Earth in the universe.


Why hypsochromic shift is known as blue shift but not violet shift?

hypsochromic (blue) shift


Who discovered blue shift?

The blue shift phenomenon was discovered by the American astronomer Edwin Hubble in the 1920s. He observed that the light from distant galaxies appeared shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum, indicating that these galaxies were moving away from us. This discovery provided crucial evidence for the expansion of the universe.


What is red shift and blue shift why are these effects useful in the study of the universe?

Red shift occurs when an object is moving away from us and blue shift is the opposite. This is important because it has been observed that most things in our universe are red shifted, and thus, moving away from us. In fact, it has been calculated that the way these objects are moving (th direction of them) points to the fact that they were all in a centralized point and are all moving away from it--as if an explosion created the universe. This theory of creation is called the Big Bang Theory by the way.


How is the red shift and blue shift related to the big bang theory?

If a galaxy is red-shifted, the distance us and that galaxy is increasing. If it is blue-shifted, the distance is decreasing. If the galaxies in our Universe were random in their velocities relative to us, about half of them would be red-shifted and about half would be blue-shifted; and the distance between us and another galaxy would have no effect on the ratio. But that's not what we see. All galaxies outside our Local Cluster are red-shifted, and we find that the greater the distance between us and a galaxy, the greater the red shift. That the size of the red shift depends on the distance is isotopic in all directions, meaning the distance between us and all other galaxies is increasing at the same ratio based on distance from us. The BEST explanation of this undeniable fact is that, at some time, space itself (NOT the matter, but space) began to expand, taking matter along for the "ride." IF that hypothesis is correct, we would observe, not only red-shift in all distant galaxies, but other effects. We do indeed see the latter, and exactly as predicted by the Big Bang.


When was Blue Shift Inc. created?

Blue Shift Inc. was created in 1995.


What is the opposite of the red shift?

The opposite of the red shift is the purple shift.