red shift
Wavelengths grow longer
Red shift is the displacement of light toward longer, redder wavelengths when its source moves away from the observer.
The phenomenon provides key evidence that the universe is expanding—distant galaxies show greater red shifts, indicating they're receding faster.
By extension, red shift describes any similar wavelength stretching in sound or other waves.
The opposite is blue shift.
Loud explosive noise
- dark energyForce accelerating universal expansion
- observable universeRegion light has reached us from
Luminous active galactic core
- galaxyGravitationally bound stellar mass
- supernovaExploding massive star
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
- Hubble Space TelescopeOrbiting astronomical observatory
James Webb · spectrograph · survey · catalog · magnitude · photometry · deep field · Edwin Hubble
Gravity as curved spacetime
- EinsteinByword for genius
- gravity wellRegion of curved spacetime
- black holeCollapsed star's remnant
- time dilationClocks slow at speed
spacetime curvature · escape · event horizon · neutron star · white dwarf
Prolonged economic decline
- approachingComing toward something
- velocityDirected rate of motion
- light sourceWhat gives off illumination
- motionChange in position
special relativity · time dilation · electromagnetic waves · observer
Discrete wavelength emission patterns
- spectrumContinuous range of values
- spectrometerMeasures electromagnetic radiation properties
- Lyman-alphaHydrogen emission wavelength
- Balmer seriesHydrogen's visible emission lines
big bang
Loud explosive noise
- dark energyForce accelerating universal expansion
- observable universeRegion light has reached us from
quasar
Luminous active galactic core
- galaxyGravitationally bound stellar mass
- supernovaExploding massive star
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
Hubble Space Telescope · James Webb · spectrograph · survey · catalog · magnitude · photometry · deep field · Edwin Hubble
general relativity
Gravity as curved spacetime
- EinsteinByword for genius
- gravity wellRegion of curved spacetime
- black holeCollapsed star's remnant
time dilation · spacetime curvature · escape · event horizon · neutron star · white dwarf
recession
Prolonged economic decline
- approachingComing toward something
- velocityDirected rate of motion
- light sourceWhat gives off illumination
motion · special relativity · time dilation · electromagnetic waves · observer
spectral lines
Discrete wavelength emission patterns
- spectrumContinuous range of values
- spectrometerMeasures electromagnetic radiation properties
- Lyman-alphaHydrogen emission wavelength
- stargazingtelescope, stargazing guides, night sky, stars, constellation
- shifts
- stellar spectroscopyspectral lines, spectroscopy, spectrograph, spectrometer, spectroscope
- cosmic mysteriesdark matter, dark energy, black holes, Big Bang, cosmic inflation
- astronomystars, moon, sun, planet, planets
- cosmosuniverse, galaxies, galaxy, stars, star